Miko to Taiyoukai no Monogatari
by windborne
Summary: The legend of Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Formerly entitled Protector, formerly under username kyasarinyume07. HIATUS
1. Merge with the Protector

Protector

Chapter One: Merge with the Protector

"Kagome, watch out!" Sango screamed at the top of her voice, as she shielded herself from Kagura's wind blades. Actually, she needn't have bothered to block anyway, Kagura wasn't really fighting. The blades dissipated into soft breezes as they hit the surface of Hiraikotsu.

Kagome ducked and rolled, coming up on her feet again as Naraku's miasma laden tentacle flew past her. Upon hearing Naraku's shriek of mindless rage, she snatched an arrow from the quiver slung over her shoulder, nocking it expertly to her bow. Kikyo had willingly given up her half of the soul, along with an apology. By doing so, Kagome now possessed all of Kikyo's skill and power added to her own, making her extremely powerful.

Kohaku, after regaining his memories, had chosen to end his life. Using his scythe, he dug out the Shikon shard that sustained his existence, and begged Sango to forgive him with his last breath. His death still pained the proud demon slayer, and she had sworn to defeat Naraku, with her death if the need arose.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru harried Naraku endlessly, and they guarded each other's backs, albeit unwillingly. Both acknowledged that Naraku's defeat was more important than the problems they had with each other, so for this last battle, they teamed up. "Move!" Kagome shouted at them. Sesshoumaru, after slashing at one tentacle that came too close for his comfort, retreated to the skies, levitating effortlessly. Inuyasha backed off, Tetsusaiga held in front of him. "Say your prayers, Naraku," Kagome said.

Shippo rode on Kirara's back, and lashed out with his green fox fire untiringly. The two fought the swarms of demons that were possessed by bloodlust. Miroku fought Kanna. Although he did not know why, Kanna refused to suck Miroku's soul away. Kagura knew why. Her talk of freedom had confused the white girl, and now Kanna wished to have the luxury of controlling her own life.

Naraku growled. "I am not finished, wench," he growled. Kagome smiled coldly. "Well… I believe that we will make that decision for you," she ground out. Focusing her attention on the arrow she held between finger and thumb, she looked straight down the shaft. The arrow began glowing a pure white, so bright that everyone was forced to look away – except the miko who controlled it. As she built up the power, Naraku flailed at her, but a small barrier appeared, preventing the filthy half-demon from reaching his goal. Kagome released the arrow. Everyone watched in silence as the arrow flew towards its target, all the while releasing a trail of sparkles.

Naraku screamed as the arrow hit him in his heart. Convulsing in agony, he cried out in pain before disintegrating into dust. Kagome looked at Kagura, then at Kanna.

"Go on and leave," she shrugged. Kagura and Kanna hesitated, then bowed to her as one. "If our services are ever required…" Kanna said softly. "You can come and look for us," Kagura finished for her older sister. They both turned and faded away silently, free of Naraku's clutches at long, long last.

Sesshoumaru looked about. All the demons had fled at Naraku's death, and there was no reason for him to linger. He inclined his head to the small miko who possessed awesome powers, and turned to walk away. "Thank you," Kagome said, bowing to him. A small trace of a smile quirked his lips when he heard, but no one could see it. No one would believe it anyway, who had ever heard of the great Ice Prince smiling?

Kagome walked forward and dropped to her knees. Naraku's chunk of the Shikon jewel lay in the dust. Reaching up, she took the single shard from the bottle hanging from the necklace she wore. With a soft hiss, the last shard fitted back where it belonged, and when Kagome touched the completed jewel, there was a bright flash of light, and she fell unconscious at the feet of her friends.

----------

Kagome stirred. She ached all over, as though she had run a marathon. Her eyes opened, and her hand came up to rub them blearily. Sitting up, she yawned. Kaede hurried across to the young girl from the future whom she regarded as the daughter she'd never had. "Are you feeling better, Kagome?" the old miko asked gently. "Yes, I'm fine…" Kagome waved Kaede off.

Shippo came running in, hard on his heels were Sango, Inuyasha and Miroku, in order. "Hi, everyone…" Kagome smiled. "Kagome-chan, how are you?" Sango knelt next to her best friend, who was exactly like a younger sister to the older girl. "I'm fine, really, Sango-chan," Kagome reassured the slayer. "I'm glad," Sango hugged Kagome, then moved aside before she was forcefully removed by Inuyasha, who was tapping his foot impatiently behind her.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said awkwardly. "Hello," she smiled in return, yawning a little. The silver-haired dog half-demon hesitated, then moved his hand up, as though wanting to touch her cheek. The instant his fingertips brushed against her skin, a jolt of pink light zapped him, and he cursed, pulling away sharply. "What the hell was that?" he swore, glaring at Kagome as though it was her fault. The small miko looked as though she was ready to cry. "I don't know! I didn't do anything!" she protested, distraught. Sango put her arm around her friend. Kaede rose to her feet and beckoned for Inuyasha and Miroku to follow her. Shippo jumped into Kagome's arms, and she was relieved when nothing happened. Kaede saw this and pursed her lips. This ruled out her main suspicion, that Kagome's miko powers were trying to purify Inuyasha's demon blood. If Shippo, a full-blooded demon, could touch his 'mother' safely, why had Inuyasha been rejected?

----------

"Sango-chan… where's the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome asked uncertainly, her hand at her neck, where the Shikon shards usually hung. Shippo was snuggled into his mother's lap, fast asleep. "The jewel seems to have been absorbed into your body. Do you remember that bright light when you touched it? When we rushed to you, we found that the jewel had vanished, and you were glowing slightly pink. We assume that it returned to its natural host," Sango bit her lip. "Oh… then my responsibility here is finished. But I cannot go back home," Kagome sniffled a little. "Why not?" Sango asked, against her will. She wanted her friend to stay with her. "If the Shikon no Tama is in me, how can I go back and pretend to be normal? If I don't use that power, it will come out in ways that I can't handle. I can't do that to my family…" Kagome cried. She launched herself at Sango, setting Shippo on the floor beside her, and wept into the cotton of the slayer's kimono.

----------

"Confess, old woman. Why did Kagome try to purify me?" Inuyasha growled out, still upset by his encounter with the miko's power. Miroku, standing behind him, shook his head and lifted the shakoju he wielded, bopping Inuyasha with it. The half-demon swayed for a moment, then toppled over. He was unconscious, thanks to Miroku. "So, Kaede-sama, what do you think about it?" Miroku leaned against the outer wall of the hut, drinking in the sunlight that bathed the village. "I believe that this has something to do with the Shikon no Tama," Kaede answered quietly.

"What can the jewel possibly have done?" Miroku frowned, displeased. "My best guess is that no one who wants her sexually can touch her. I believe that this is the way the Shikon no Tama has decided to protect its host. Or perhaps the jewel requires a person to be worthy of its guardian miko. Inuyasha may not be that person," Kaede sighed out. "I heard that," Inuyasha snarled. "We can try my suspicions out," the ancient miko decided.

"Well then, Miroku, when you go in, keep thinking that you want to grope Kagome again… let's see how the jewel reacts. And Inuyasha, you keep thinking that all you want to do is be Kagome's best friend," Kaede ordered. The two younger people nodded, and they all entered the hut again.

----------

Kagome had already stopped crying, and Inuyasha could smell the scent of salt in the air. "My dearest Kagome-sama…" Miroku approached her, grinning devilishly. Sango frowned, then relaxed at Kaede's hand signal. When Miroku brushed against Kagome, a small bolt of power shocked him, and he drew back, shaking his hand in pain. Inuyasha came forward, concentrating on the fact that he wanted to be her friend only. When he reached out a finger to touch her hand gently, nothing happened. "Looks like you're right, Kaede-sama," Miroku sighed. His hand still stung a little, but he knew that all the jewel had done was to just warn him away.

"And what did Kaede-baachan say that was right?" Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Come on outside, Kagome and Sango. I'll tell you there," Kaede sighed. "I wish it wasn't so…" the old one mumbled under her breath.

Miroku and Inuyasha looked at each other, sighing. They both pricked up their ears, wanting to know the reaction of the miko from the future. Right on cue, they heard an indignant shriek. "WHAT!" Kagome shouted.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Kagome growled so soft that only Inuyasha could hear. With another piercing scream, he heard her run away from both Sango and Kaede, and sighed again as the footsteps faded away. Miroku looked at Inuyasha, who shook his head silently.

"Another thing that I didn't tell you… the jewel has probably given Kagome more than that. Among the likeliest are immortality, increased power and healing abilities. Kagome will have a hard, hard life from now on," Kaede bowed her head as she pushed aside the curtain covering the doorway.


	2. Inevitably Alone

'Protector'

Chapter Two: Inevitably Alone

--100 Years Later--

Kagome hummed a soft melody under her breath. Although it had been ages since she had heard it, the tune still remained in her mind, a remnant of what and who she used to be. The song haunted her, sometimes almost driving her crazy. She dimly remembered the song title… it was 'Four Seasons', sung by a singer named Namie Amuro – a lady who hadn't been born yet in the era she lived in. She walked barefooted through the trees. Being in contact with the earth made her feel at peace, and the sensation of calm more than made up for having to wash the grime off her feet. Her black sandals were carried loosely in one hand, and she gripped her bow lightly in the other.

Toutousai had made the bow for her out of gratitude, after she helped him exterminate a demon who kept hounding him for a sword. The workmanship was truly exquisite, and the soft sunlight filtering through the trees made the polished wood gleam. The old sword smith had carved designs of mythical creatures such as phoenixes, unicorns and dragons. Kagome had made it a habit to clean the bow every night with a handkerchief-sized piece of white silk. The bow did not have any special attacks like Tetsusaiga, but it possessed one very useful ability – power magnification. To purify several demons only took a spark of power. In addition, Toutousai had made it so that it could only be used by her. It was made of time tree wood, and was extremely durable. She had been using for more than half a century, and it was still in perfect condition, power undiminished.

Kagome was now alone in the world. Things had happened during the last hundred years, and most of them were unpleasant.

Inuyasha, the brash and proud half-demon who had led the group of shard hunters, had vanished soon after the jewel rejected him, leaving a heartbroken and weeping Kagome behind. He had not left a trail, and even Kirara and Shippou had no way to track him down. Kagome had been depressed for a very long time before she put herself together again; ready to face the world head-on.

Shippou, the fox kit who had been like a son to the Shikon miko, had been found by a passing clan of fox demons. The clan chief, a very pleasant demon named Akito, had offered Shippou the opportunity to join his own kind and learn the secret arts of the trickster foxes. After gentle encouragement from Kagome, Shippou agreed to go. An entire century passed, and Kagome never saw Shippou again. She had no idea where he was, nor whether he was even alive.

Kaede had passed away soon after. Pushing her sadness and tears away, Kagome had attended the burial of the elderly miko who had treated her like a daughter. Kagome still went back occasionally, to leave flowers on the grave. The village had mourned the passing of the wise old woman, but life had to go on.

Miroku had taken Kaede's place as the holy person of the village, their protector and healer. After a few months, he had proposed marriage to Sango, who had accepted excitedly, but not before extracting a promise from him that he would never be a pervert and grope other girls again. Miroku agreed, because he realized there was a loophole in that promise. Sango had only made him agree not to grope other girls – she had not included herself in there. So he still groped her regularly, earning slaps and kicks from her. He often had encounters with Hiraikotsu too, which was still kept in top condition.

Kagome had witnessed their marriage, and had even agreed to officiate the ceremony. Sango and Miroku had been ecstatic, and the celebrations were held throughout the night, the males teasing Miroku about his bedroom prowess. Sango had later confided to Kagome that Miroku had confessed in private that he was still a virgin. She had not believed him at first. Who would have thought that such a perverted monk was still a virgin? Kagome had laughed until she almost started to cry, she was so amused by the irony.

A few weeks later, Kagome had slipped away in dark of night, leaving no trail behind. She could not stay; she was not a normal human. She was the guardian of a jewel that granted immense power, she had unbelievable powers, and she was immortal. No one else was in the same situation as her. Sango and Miroku, although they were good friends, could not possibly relate to her.

Sango and Miroku had died, and Kagome still walked among the living, but always one step away from anyone else. The pain of her friends' deaths still hurt her, and the constant ache in her heart reminded her to keep her distance from the ones whose lives passed in a flash.

Kirara had come to Kagome after Sango's death, asking to stay as her pet. Kagome immediately took the little fire-cat in. Kirara left once in a while, but Kagome understood her need for privacy and granted it gladly.

To the human villagers who lived in this time period, the immortal miko was shrouded in mystery. No one knew her origins, no one knew whether she even had a family, and no one knew where her powers came from. Her magic was not natural; no miko had powers like she did. But then again, none of them had the Shikon no Tama in them.

Some minstrel had invented a legend about her, and it was very irritating to hear his song being sung. The minstrel, Hatokiri, had gotten a few facts right, but most of them were wrong. And those which were right were the most unbelievable, so no one knew what to think. Somehow, the stupid guy had gotten the information that she came from a different era, and that the Shikon no Tama had merged into her body. She had heard that he had been kicked out of more than one village for insinuating that their precious Protector came from another world altogether. Kagome thought that they secretly wanted to think that even human blood could produce amazing people sometimes. Well, she couldn't deny that she wasn't human, but she couldn't deny that she didn't have a power booster with her at all times.

Kagome had grown and matured, although not much. She was slightly taller now, and her hair fell down to her ankles, unbound and flowing freely. There were slight differences between her and Kikyou; it was just that Inuyasha had never opened his eyes properly to look. Her hair had a slight curl to it, whereas Kikyou's was straight. Her cocoa-colored eyes were warm and kind, unlike Kikyou's aloof and cold brown ones. Kikyou's hair had a brownish tinge to it, whereas Kagome's was so dark that it had bluish highlights in the bright golden sunshine.

Although she was a miko, she refused to wear their traditional garb of white and red, saying that she would look way too much like Kikyou. The pain of being told she was inferior still remained, and she would do almost anything to avoid looking like the undead woman. Instead of a white top, she wore one that was designed the same way, but in a soft sapphire tone. In lieu of the red pants, she wore black, but a little tighter than the usual baggy ones. The pants she wore were a little more like the jeans of the future.

Some people compared her power to that of Midoriko's, the legendary creator of the Shikon no Tama that Kagome guarded with her life. A small ironic smile curved the miko's lips. She wondered what their expressions would be like if they knew that Midoriko was the one who trained her in her dreams. Midoriko had told her about the abilities the jewel had gifted her with, and a few of those she used regularly were shape-shifting and telepathy.

She now stood in front of the God Tree, the one thing that was constant in her former life and this one. Her hair flowed around her like a curtain, swaying in the soft breeze that ruffled the leaves of this special tree. Spring flowers nodded in the wind, holding up their heads to greet the miko of the Shikon no Tama. Kagome ran her hand over the spot where Inuyasha had lain sealed for fifty long years, until she had been dragged through the well and released him. Memories of the half-demon flooded her mind, and she shook her head in annoyance. She didn't need to bring him to the front of her mind again, it would take too long to push him away. Her eyes narrowed, and in a flash, a feline stood in her place. A female tiger, to be exact.

Kagome loved to run in the form of an animal, usually some type of feline, because it felt most natural to her, next to her usual human body. With a snapping of her teeth, she bounded forward, into the trees that surrounded the lone giant that stood through the ages.

The wind rushed past her, and the trees and bushes around her blurred. She charged on, not heeding the branches and twigs that scraped at her hide. Small streaks of blood sprang up, and Kagome's sensitive cat nose could smell it. She kept rushing on, not caring about the direction she was going in, drowning in the adrenaline high that poured through her.

As she ran onward, she caught a glimpse of silvery hair that looked as soft as silk. Sitting back on her haunches, she stopped her headlong dash and backtracked for a closer look. Transforming back to the usual human girl body, she crept closer. Her heart leapt as she caught another glimpse of long silver hair. Thinking it was Inuyasha, she approached, calling his name.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" she shouted, willing him to turn and look at her, acknowledge the girl he had rejected after the jewel pushed him away. But when the silver-haired man standing in the clearing did turn, her heart plummeted, and she froze in place as he fixed a golden stare onto her.

----------

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of 'Protector'. I'm sure everyone can guess who she happened to meet. Oh well. Hehehe… This took quite a while to write, because I didn't really know what should happen, other than the fact that she had to meet that certain someone at the end. My original version was only 850 words, I felt that I should make it a bit longer… don't you think so? Anyway, I padded it out with more info on what happened during that century. And I can also tell you this is definitely not Inuyasha/Kagome. I don't write those very well. Okay, remember to R&R everyone! Reviews make me write faster. hint hint Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Glomps them all excitedly

Reviewer responses:

Kagome21: There, I updated. Maybe not very quickly, but at least I updated. Yeah. I had a bit of trouble with this, this is the second version that I wrote. I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

Youkai99Angel: Ooh, I can't believe one of my favorite authors reviewed my little story! Yay! jumps up and down excitedly Yes, you can start backing away from the crazy writer about now. Just kidding. Just wanted to tell you, I couldn't review for the latest chapter you posted because I already did it when you posted the trick chapters. Just in case you wanted to know why I didn't review. Yeah. I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

Erin: I don't mind sending you an email when I update, but you forgot to leave your email address! Please give it to me if you want an alert. I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

IYGURL: Well, there you go. I'm glad you like it. I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

Nomadgirl66: I'm really glad you like it. smiles happily Here's your update. I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

Ziana: I will do my utmost best to complete this. Hmm… I really hope I don't run out of ideas for this like I did for my other multi-chapter fics. So…I hope you enjoyed this, please review!

Katana no Mizu Ryuu: I'm glad you think it's good. Here's your update! I hope you enjoyed this, and please review!

Ember-Angel: There! Some more to read. Hehehe. I hope you're happy with this. And just in case you wanted to know, my week was really horrible. My form teacher is a swine I tell you. I so wanna kick his butt. Oh well. It was nice of you to wish me a stress freed week anyway. Thank you! I hope you like this, and please review!

Dawnstar28: Hmm… I like your name. Did you pick it from Mercedes Lackey's books? I read a few where there was a girl character named Dawnstar. I really liked that one. I'm glad you enjoyed this… I try my best not to make mistakes. But occasionally, a few slip through my fingers, and I don't have a beta reader to correct them. I tried to make this chapter about the same length – did I succeed? I hope so. I hope you like this, and please review!

Ouka-chan77: I will certainly try to keep going. I hope you like this, and please review!

CrazyPoet: There's humor in this? Really? Hmm… I'm not good at writing humor, I'm better at angst. And I have no idea why. I'm happy that you enjoyed this. Here's more for you! I hope you enjoyed this, and please review!

Ladylillyofazra: I'm glad you think it's great so far. Hopefully, this chapter measures up to the last one. I hope you like this, and please review!

Everyone, remember, reviews make me write faster! And it would make my day if you reviewed. Yay! Anyway, I'll try and update as soon as possible. And for those for put this story on alert but didn't review… I know who you are. It would be nice if you could drop me a line, even if you just say 'blah' in it. Really.

kyasarinyume07 signing off! Bye everyone! Have a good week.


	3. A Gift for a Time of Need

Protector

Chapter Three: A Gift for a Time of Need

Kagome felt lost as those golden eyes, so similar to the amber ones she missed, focused right on her. For a moment, she felt so small, so inadequate – exactly like she had those long, long years ago, when Kikyou still walked the earth in an undead body. She recognized him instantly, of course. Who could forget him? It had been silly of her to mistake him for Inuyasha anyway – his hair was distinctly longer, down to his knees, and he wore white, not red. She blushed slightly for making such a stupid error.

Tearing her eyes away from the being who continued to glare at her, she scanned the clearing quickly. A scaled, double-headed dragon reclined on the ground, munching on a pile of grass that had been gathered for him. A short, ugly little creature that closely resembled a toad and algae bore a staff that was three times taller than him. A young human girl, dressed in a kimono of orange and yellow, was leaning against the dragon.

Aun growled a greeting to Kagome. The dragon was smarter than he looked, and his memory also went back a long time. Kagome nodded to him, biting back a smile when Ah laid his head down and closed his eyes while Un stared at her intently. After all, they hadn't met for a very, very long time.

Kagome looked closer at Jaken. The toad-like creature had visibly aged – there were now wrinkles lining his green face, and his eyes were slightly dimmed. The claws that clutched the smooth wood of the Nintoujyo were shaking a little. Time had not been very kind to the toad who followed Sesshoumaru.

The little girl stared at her, a crease on her brow. "Rin feels like Rin knows you," she said. "I feel like I know you too," Kagome replied. 'Maybe that's because I do know you,' she added to herself sarcastically. However, Rin should have died a long, long time ago. She was human – wasn't she? Then again, demons had ways to make things follow their wishes. It was more than likely that Sesshoumaru had just ordered some poor subordinate to make some weird little-known potion for Rin. Her hair was still done up in a messy side-ponytail that stuck out of her head awkwardly. A sakura blossom was clutched in her hand, the pink flower still retaining all its petals.

Seeing these four together, just like a family, almost brought tears to Kagome's eyes. She could remember those days so tangibly, when the three groups hunted for Naraku separately. That same stupid bard, Hatokiri – he had gotten things mixed up, saying that Shippou, Jaken, and Ginta had been the leaders of the three groups. What a joke that had been, the first time she had heard it… she had burst out laughing, and almost choked to death. How different things were now – her own group were apart, half of them dead and the others missing. And yet, Sesshoumaru's group was still together and going strong. She felt like a failure – like the group's separation was all her fault. So inadequate – so lonely.

"Well then, I'll be going now. Sorry for making a mistake, I thought you were someone else," Kagome smiled nervously. "Wait." Sesshoumaru held up a hand. A slight crease furrowed his brow.

"Oh! Are you the Protector? The one whom villagers like to sing about?" Rin chirped up. "That's right. How did you know?" Kagome blinked bemusedly. "They all say that you are the only miko who wears garments of blue and black. They think you're mourning for something, and that's why you don't wear red and white," Rin explained. Kagome blinked again. "Oh." She said, shifting in place uncomfortably.

"You are Inuyasha's wench," Sesshoumaru spoke up. "Not anymore," Kagome sighed. Stupid dog demons. Why was it that all of them seemed to have problems saying her name? "And I have a name, you know," she added in irritably. "You have not earned my respect yet. You don't deserve to have me call you by name," Sesshoumaru said coolly. "Whatever! I give up already," the annoyed miko growled out. Then, beneath her breath, she muttered, "Moron…"

"I heard that." Sesshoumaru interrupted her reverie. "I know. And if that's all you wanted to confirm, I'd like to leave. Do you **mind**?" she snapped out. "Yes, I mind. What are you doing in my lands?" he growled back. Kagome blinked bemusedly. "I'm in the Western Lands? Oops…" she laughed guiltily. She didn't know where she was… she just went in the direction that seemed right to her.

"How can you still be alive? You are a human! Your kind are filthy, and they live only for a short while! You cannot be Inuyasha's wench!" Jaken squawked. Kagome sent him an annoyed glare and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Woman, answer me!" the arrogant little toad shrieked at her. "Man, a hundred years sure hasn't improved your disposition, huh?" she mumbled under her breath. Raising a hand, she snapped her fingers. Jaken screamed as the air tightened around him, locking his limbs in place. "What have you done to me, woman!" he shouted as he fell sideways, thudding to the ground. Kagome smiled. "Have fun with the Shackles of Air," she smirked.

"Jaken-sama looks funny!" Rin sang out, trotting over to the old toad demon and poking him with a finger inquisitively. "Ow! Rin! That's painful… stop!" he protested vehemently. Rin giggled and continued poking him. His pointed hat had fallen off beside him, and she accidentally squashed it flat. "Oh… gomenasai, Jaken-sama. Rin stepped on your hat." She picked it up and handed it to him. Jaken glared at her, and struggled to get up. He failed miserably – Kagome's spell held him immobile.

In a blink, five claws poked their tips into her neck and she froze in place. "Release my servant at once," Sesshoumaru ordered, digging his talons in deeper. "Fine, fine… you could've just asked," Kagome pouted. She made a throwing gesture, and Jaken sailed upwards, skimming over the tops of the trees and away. "Jaken-sama is learning how to fly!" Rin exclaimed joyfully, clapping her hands amongst gurgles of laughter.

"Ne, Rin-chan, do you want to have a way to contact me if you need to?" Kagome stepped over to the little child and knelt down, putting her on the same level as Rin. "Yes! Rin-chan would love to have a way to reach the Protector!" Rin giggled cheerfully. Kagome winced inwardly at Rin's use of her 'title', but didn't let it show on her face. She reached into her billowing sleeve, pulling out a pair of scissors. She tugged a portion of her hair forward, braiding it tightly. With a snip, she cut off the lock of silky hair, and handed it to Rin.

"When you need me, you can just throw that upwards into the air – the higher the better. If you've done it correctly, it will fly away and come back to me, and I'll know what to do. Okay? Also, you can call me Kagome," she ran a hand threw Rin's own hair, so much like her own… sort of. "Hai, Kagome-neechan," Rin nodded, throwing herself at the older girl. Kagome staggered back a little from Rin's energetic attack on her waist. "Ow…" she murmured.

All their heads turned upwards as a feline roar echoed across the vast azure sky. Kirara repeated her call, spiraling downwards to meet her friend. She landed with a thump, and nodded to Aun. The two creatures had spent a little time together while Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha fought in the past. Aun bared his teeth in greeting. Kirara shrank to her kitten form in a swirl of scorching flames, and jumped onto Rin's shoulder, using her as a stepping stone to get to the taller Kagome.

"Hello, Kirara. Back already, are you?" Kagome smiled and stroked the feline, her smile widening when Kirara's two tails waved cheerfully. A happy mew was her only reply. "Well then, see you next time, Rin-chan," Kagome backed away from the little girl.

"See you next time, Sesshoumaru," Kagome turned to the stoic taiyoukai. "There will be no next time," he replied coldly. Chilly golden eyes met warm cocoa orbs, and Kagome sighed. "Whatever," she waved a hand lazily.

Jaken, bruised and bloodied, stumbled back into the clearing, tottering like an old man. The Nintoujyo was still grasped in his grubby claw tightly, scraping the polished wood. "How dare you attack a youkai, you filthy ningen…" he gasped out, pulling himself upright with lots and **lots** of effort. The mouth of the guy doll's head on the staff snapped open, and a torrent of fire poured out, the heat nearly unbearable for Rin, who screamed and ran to hide behind Sesshoumaru, peeking out occasionally.

Kagome sighed, and she held up her bow. The dark wood sparkled with pink purification powers, and she reflected the fire easily, turning it back against its user. Jaken shrieked in agony as the flames left him black… and probably crispy. She glared at Sesshoumaru. "You have to train your servants more, Sesshoumaru. This idiot isn't too polite," with that, and a final wave to Rin, she disappeared into the woods, leaving an excited Rin, a sleepy Aun, a bored Sesshoumaru and a fried Jaken behind.

----------

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this installment of 'Protector'. Yes, I am aware that it's been a while. Since the end of the year is approaching, the scary things called "final exams" have been sprung onto me. It's Saturday today, and I have a Chinese test on Monday. I had my Japanese written and oral final on Tuesday, and I fell sick on Thursday. I have had a horrible week, people. Sorry for not updating on Wednesday as usual. Anyway. On to reviewer replies! (My favorite part to do actually…)

Reviewer replies:

**Inuyasha's hun:** Sarcasm duly noted. Thanks for reviewing for both chapter one and two – at almost the same time. /smiles/ Please continue, ne?

**Me**: Nice name. Er, the soft, gentle, light, whipped part – is that meant to refer to 'Protector'? If it does, where does the whipped part come from? And yes – Inuyasha is still Sesshoumaru's half brother, as proven by the beginning of this chapter. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue.

**CrazyPoet**: I'm glad you think so. Hmm… I'm not too sure about the rebirth thing. I'll consider it, but I'll probably make this up as I go along. This is one reason why I take about a week to write. And this is the second version I've written! Grr… Okay, thanks for reviewing! Please continue, okay?

**darkdemoness41791**: Glad you think so. /smiles/ Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue.

**Kagome21**: Well, about no one being able to touch Kagome – something is going to have to happen to change that… otherwise where will this story go? Where would the fun be? Heh. Here's your update! Thanks for reviewing. Please continue, ne?

**Katana no Mizu Ryuu: **Glad you think so… (have I repeated this phrase too many times or what?) Thanks for reviewing. Please continue!

**ladylillyofraza**: I'm glad. /smiles/ Here's your update. Er… am I really? Was that counted as a cliffie? I didn't realize… /sweatdrop/ Thanks for reviewing! Please continue.

**AlwaysSearching**: Do you really think so? Nice of you to say so… I fully intend to keep writing – don't worry about that, ne? Thanks for reviewing – please continue, all right?

**i laugh at you: **/blink blink/ Yay! You just gave me my longest review EVER! Yay! Thank you sooo much. I would make my chapters longer, but that would probably increase the wait to about a month – because I have an extremely short attention span. Can't help it. About the editor and/or beta-reader thing, I don't have one. There are a few reasons for that. Two of my friends have volunteered, but there are a few problems. For one of them, she doesn't read OR watch Inuyasha. Yet. I'm working on that. For the other, I'd like to read a sample of her work first – haven't got it yet. But I'm the beta-reader/editor for her upcoming CCS fic – right now it's still untitled. I am trying to find someone suitable though… I will do my best. Your update is here! Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reviewing! Please continue, ne?

**bubbles54379**: I am definitely going to continue writing. Happy? I hope so. Thank you for reviewing! Please continue, okay?

**1kenshinlover**: Well, I myself think it's a little sad too – but they would HAVE to die after a hundred years have passed… it's either that, or make them be decrepit old people. I think that's even worse… right? I'm glad you think it's good. Thank you for reviewing! Please continue, ne?

**Nomadgirl66:** You are absolutely right- she saw Sesshy-sama, not Inuyasha. Hehe. Hmm… I like felines. If I could transform, I'd want to be one. Which is why I picked a tiger – when I was younger, I'd probably have picked a unicorn or a mythical creature. That's a bit more unbelievable, ne? Thanks for reviewing. Please continue, okay?

**Traveler of the World: **Definitely a huge mistake, ne? Here's the update. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue, all right?

**Youkai99Angel: **Yup, poor Kagome. As for the jewel, well… I've been trying to think about it, and ways to let Sesshoumaru touch her. As far as I'm concerned, the easiest way is to remove it, but then Kagome will die instantly because her lifespan has been extended far past the usual. So I'm still brainstorming – I'm sure I'll come up with something suitable soon. Update's here! Hope you enjoyed. And I also hope you'll update your fanfic soon – I need my fix of 'A Field of Flowers' /gazes at herself in mirror and shrieks when she looks like a madwoman/ Oh well. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue, okay?

**sarah h: **Update, served warm and on a bed of lettuce… okay, now that was lame. But whatever. Hehe… thanks for reviewing. Please continue, ne?

**Kage Bi Koori: **Here you go. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue, okay?

**IYGURL:** No need to thank me – I should be the one thanking you for reviewing. So… thanks for reviewing! Please continue, okay?

----------

And that finishes the reviewer replies. Thanks for reviewing, guys! Luv you all/Throws cookies and IY plushies to everyone/

From now on, I will ask an IY trivia question, and the first one who answers CORRECTLY gets the next chapter dedicated to them – and possibly a role inside 'Protector', if I get the chance to create more characters. Possibly as people in Sesshoumaru's castle – as advisors or whatever. Okay? This time's question is

What is the name of the lord who loved Sango in the episode "Aiming for Sango : Only You"?

Also, I'm looking for a beta-reader who can double as my editor. Those who want to try, please leave me your name, email address – but I'd also like to have a look at your best fanfic, okay? Thanks guys! I think I might need one sooner or later anyway – might as well be sooner. Thank you!

Well then, ja ne! 'Til the next update! I may not be able to update in a week, because of evil final exams… wish me luck, okay?

Signing off, kyasarinyume07


	4. Kagome and Sesshoumaru's Mother?

Protector

Chapter Four: Sesshoumaru's Vulnerable Spot

Rin rubbed her eyes blearily as she sat up, having just awoken. Sesshoumaru was leaning against a tree trunk, legs crossed neatly and head bowed. Jaken was scrambling about the makeshift campsite, trying to pack up everything and put the saddle and bridle on Aun at the same time.

"Good morning, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin chirped good naturedly. Sesshoumaru winced inwardly. In his personal opinion, Rin was far too cheerful in the morning that it was creepy. It was just – unnatural for a person to be so happy at an unholy hour. He nodded to his ward, raising his head finally.

Sesshoumaru looked at Aun for a moment, and was surprised to find Rin at his side in an instant. She had picked up a few things while traveling with him, and evidently she had learnt how to sneak up on a demon silently. That could be a good thing – or not.

"Ne, Sesshoumaru-sama, do you think we can go and visit Kagome-chan today?" she asked, hope shining in her chocolate brown eyes. Sesshoumaru flinched. It was that exact look that worked on him every single time. Why did she want to see the blasted miko anyway? Only three days had passed since they saw her! He hesitated, not wanting to crush his daughter, but not wanting to go back on his word either.

_Flashback_

"_See you next time, Sesshoumaru," Kagome turned to the stoic taiyoukai. "There will be no next time," he replied coldly. Chilly golden eyes met warm cocoa orbs, and Kagome sighed. "Whatever," she waved a hand lazily._

_End flashback_

Rin's lower lip began to tremble, and Sesshoumaru detected the faint hint of salty tears emanating from her. He was ready to bang his head against the wall and tear out his beautiful silver hair. Rin had asked for the woman every morning since they met her. Every single morning! What was wrong with her? He absolutely hated tears – there was no way he could possibly refuse her this time. Tears reminded him of his mother… the lady Arisa.

_Flashback_

"_Mother, why are you crying? Don't cry, mother," a young silver-haired pup scrambled over the pillows on the bed to reach his mother, the famous beauty Lady Arisa. Her brown eyes were filled with more tears, and the pup's young nose was almost overwhelmed by the strong scent of salt filling the room. Knee-length raven hair cascaded down like a curtain, covering Lady Arisa's face from her young son. Slowly, Arisa raised her head, turning to look at Sesshoumaru. He watched, aghast, as yet another tear slipped down her cheek silently. She was obviously devastated. "Will you remember me, my love, even when I'm gone?" she asked softly, stroking his cheek with one long finger. Sesshoumaru caught a flash of metal in her sleeve, but chose to ignore it. "Of course, mother," he said, gripping her hand tightly. She smiled faintly, and turned away._

_It happened that night._

"_Mother! May I go out into the gardens – mother?" Sesshoumaru burst into the lady's chambers unannounced. Lady Arisa held a long, sharp dagger in a hand, and her startled eyes met Sesshoumaru's. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru," she took a deep breath, and plunged the knife into her heart. She slumped over immediately, as her breathing stopped. With a heartrending cry, Sesshoumaru launched himself across the room, howling for her to come back. When his hands touched the front of her beautifully-patterned kimono, he recoiled in shock. Red liquid dripped from his fingers – his own mother's blood._

_End flashback_

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin gazed up at him, eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked, scrambling onto his lap. He didn't reply, still lost in the sad memories of his childhood.

_Flashback_

_Inutaisho steepled his fingers together in front of his face, regarding his older son solemnly. "Is there something you needed, Sesshoumaru?" he asked finally, after minutes of tense silence. "Why did you bring **her** here?" he growled out, clenching his fists so hard that his claws bit into his flesh. Blood dripped from the wounds – the same shade of red as his mother's. "Izayoi is my mate, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho answered evenly. "Mother has not been dead for long," Sesshoumaru stated. "I have to move on, my son. So do you. She is already gone. Accept it," Inutaisho sighed._

_Sesshoumaru rose from his seat. "Until the bitch dies, or you do, I will not come back here. If you ever bear a son by her…" he let the threat hang in the stifling air between them, and left in a flash, through the balcony, his pelt trailing behind him._

_End flashback_

Sesshoumaru shook his head hard, and focused on the little girl staring up at him. "We will go later in the afternoon, Rin," he said. "Yay!" Rin stood and jumped about the clearing, cheering and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Jaken squawked as she danced past him, and 'accidentally' squashed him flat. Aun huffed in amusement, exhaling a breath of warm air at the little girl who laughed and tugged on his rough mane.

-----------

"I know you're there. Come on out," Kagome sighed wearily, plucking an arrow from her bow and nocking it lazily. Pairs of freakishly glowing crimson eyes blinked in the semi-darkness, and Kagome sent out a burst of light, blinding the demons lying in wait for her. Directly after the flash of light, she shot the arrow, trailing an arc of pink sparkles behind it as it flashed past three demons, purifying them to ash instantly. Kagome found that this method, letting the arrow go near but not hit the demon was very effective when fighting against numbers. If the arrow hit, it could only kill one – going past them worked much better and could kill more.

Kirara transformed in a swirl of flames, unloosing an unearthly roar that echoed off the trees. Kagome sat astride her, and they soared upwards, the pink transparency of a barrier surrounding them. Kagome held her hands out together. Fire and lightning lashed out alternately at the demons surging after the demon fire cat and the miko girl. The screams of incinerating demons pierced Kagome's and Kirara's ears, and both winced at the same time.

The flames and lightning stopped. Two globes of pink purification power formed in Kagome's hands, and she lobbed them out. One soared further away, and the other burst as it came into contact with a demon, sparking a giant explosion of purification waves. When one hit the other orb of power, another explosion began, effectively destroying all the demons that had wanted to ambush her. Faraway, she picked up the aura of a certain dog demon and his companions… and cursed. They would be in range of her purification waves. With an outstretched hand, she set up a barrier haphazardly, not very sure whether it would work. It was rather hard to set up a barrier around something you couldn't even see. Hopefully it would – otherwise she would have to do some serious explaining to Rin why she had purified her guardian to the depths of hell.

----------

Sesshoumaru cursed silently as he spotted the miko's purification power flowing towards him. Barrier-making was not his forte, and his weren't very strong anyway. Before he could react, one snapped up around him, a little irregular-shaped, but strong. Rin sat atop Aun, gaping at the shield around them. The barrier had been created just in time. Waves of power crashed onto the surface of the shield, and Sesshoumaru flinched at the strength of the attack… well, sort of attack. It held strong, and only faded away when the attack ceased.

Rin caught a glimpse of red, blue and black coming nearer and squealed in excitement. "Is that Kagome-chan, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked, bouncing up and down on the stoic double headed dragon's back. "Hai, that's the miko," he replied. Squinting, he could just make out her face.

Kirara soared towards the group Kagome had spotted and protected just in time. "Rin-chan!" she called, waving a hand in welcome. "Kagome-chan!" Rin squealed happily.

Sesshoumaru looked closer at the girl, not daring to believe in the similarities he saw between the human girl… and his long deceased mother. Black hair flowed behind her in the wind caused by the fire cat's fast flight – hair the same shade of blueish black as his mother. He could remember the way her hair covered her face at that moment – would it look exactly the same if Kagome were to imitate her? The warm brown eyes, dancing with laughter and the joy of being alive – exactly identical to his mother's before she had learnt of Inutaisho's dalliance with the human princess Izayoi and her marking. Their build, petite and small, were the same. They had the same slender figure and hands, and the weapon of their choice, the bow and arrow… that was the same too. It was coincidence. It had to be. Right?

----------

A/N: Yeah right, Sesshy. Coincidence, I'm sure. Maybe. Hehe. Okay… this chapter was supposed to be dedicated to two different people. However, I've forgotten their usernames, and my Gmail is being stubborn and refusing to load. So, reviewer responses will be done next chapter, and the chapter dedication will also be pushed back. Sorry.

This time's question : What was the name of that weird centipede creature who pulled Kagome through the well?

Same prize goes – chapter dedication. Have fun!

Have a good week, minna-san. I'm happy! My exams are ending tomorrow, and this is my way of giving you all a present. Hehe. Just kidding. I'd update today anyway. Even if my exams just started. Wish me luck for my science exam, okay? Thanks! 'Til next update then…

kyasarinyume07 signing off. Bye everyone! Have a good week.


	5. Appearances Are Deceiving

This chapter is dedicated to know-it-all, who answered the trivia question from chapter three correctly, Traveler of the World, who went a step farther and gave me the episode number of 'Aiming for Sango: Only You', and The Squabbit, who answered the trivia question from chapter four correctly. The answers and list of people who got the questions right can be found in the A/N.

Protector

_:Italics: are the thoughts of Sesshoumaru's youkai_

**:Bold: are the thoughts of Sesshoumaru when he is /ahem/ arguing with himself.**

Chapter Five: Appearances Are Deceiving

"Kagome-chan! Wear this!" Rin danced up, a crown of wildflowers in her hand. Laughing, Kagome knelt down and let the little girl put the flowers on her head. Idly, she plucked a few daisies and began to make a bracelet out of the beautiful white blossoms. Rin looked about before spotting a bright bloom the color of mellow sunshine. She picked it up and cradled it in her palms, smiling down at it. Kagome reached up to brush the silkiness of one golden petal, and petted Rin's head jokingly. "Why don't you put it in your hair, Rin-chan? It goes with your kimono, right?" Kagome took the flower from Rin.

Slipping one hand into her pocket, she pulled out a hairbrush and released Rin's hair from its constant side ponytail. She ran the comb through the hair, clicking her tongue at the roughness she felt. "Rin, you have to take more care of your hair, it's getting really rough," she shook her head. After she finished combing through the strands, she gave the brush to Rin, who stared at it bemusedly. "You keep this, okay? Use it everyday, then your hair will be in better condition," Kagome tapped Rin on the nose lightly. She tucked the pretty little blossom behind Rin's ear, and stood back to admire the effect. The yellow color fairly glowed against the darkness of Rin's dark hair.

Sesshoumaru sat in a corner, not paying any attention to Jaken's endless rambling. He barely noticed when Aun got tired of the toad's never-ending chatter and brought one plate-sized paw down on him, before using his tail to swat Jaken far, far away, into the sky…

Sesshoumaru watched the miko interact with Rin, the faintest trace of a frown lining his pale face. The similarities were there, and glaringly obvious… how could it be? His mother had been a purebred dog demon lady, not some human girl. His mother…

Yes, the similarities were there, but there were differences too.

Lady Arisa was kindhearted, yes, but there were limits to her mercy. Sesshoumaru remembered the first time he had seen her slay a creature…

_Flashback_

_Sesshoumaru was knocked backwards roughly with a swipe of the gigantic bear demon's paw. Blood flowed from the wounds on his body, a slash on the side of his head, multiple gashes on his arms and legs, a huge bruise on his left side. He screamed for help. His claws glowed a menacing green, and his poison whip shot out. At first, he was startled too – it was then that he realized he had a weapon with him that could be summoned at will. The bear demon growled and extended a paw towards him, claws outstretched and glinting in the sunlight that filtered in through the canopy of tree branches. Sesshoumaru threw a hand in front of his face protectively, and the long whip lashed out across the demon's face, leaving a long wound that glowed green with poison. Sesshoumaru inhaled the distinctive flowery scent of his acid weapon, and swept the whip out again. The bear jumped back, growling so loudly that the leaves on the trees shuddered with the passing of his breath. _

_Then, they both heard a loud roar that made the earth shake and tremble. A huge black dog demon bounded down from the clouds and bared her teeth, eyes a violent shade of crimson. She carried her tail high and proud, like a banner… purple poison dripped from her fangs, melting the dried leaves that lay on the ground below. The leaves crunched as she advanced a step, snarling viciously. Arisa was in bloodlust, wanting to kill the demon who hurt her only child._

_In a few moments, it was over. She rushed the bear demon, and it happened so fast that Sesshoumaru only realized it was dead when a spray of blood caught him over the cheek. The metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils, and he keeled over, unconscious._

_----------_

_He awoke later, still in his mother's arms. They were walking through the forest silently, and Sesshoumaru winced as he remembered what had happened. He had escaped the castle by himself, telling no one, only to meet a demon who was looking for prey. His mother had come to save him. He stared up at her, and a wistful smile curved her lips. "'Rest, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, cuddling him closer to her. He nodded obediently and closed his eyes. He had never felt so safe before, snuggled in his mother's embrace._

_End flashback_

That time had been the only time he had seen his mother's true form, and he was glad that he never saw it again. It had been very frightening – after all, he had only been a pup then. She refused to let the bear demon go… because she was a mother. Kagome wasn't a mother yet. Maybe she would become like that too if she had a child… Sesshoumaru promptly slapped himself mentally. 'What the heck were you thinking? Why the hell do you want to know what she would be like if she had a kid!' he rubbed his forehead ruefully.

_:Are you sure you want the answer to that:_

**:Hmm… wait, who the hell are you:**

_:My, my, Sesshoumaru, losing our touch, are we:_

**:Answer me, or I shall kill you:**

_:You can't kill yourself, idiot:_

**:I'm not you:**

_:Why am I stuck with an idiot? I'm your youkai blood, fool…:_

**:I sealed you:**

_:Not anymore. You know, Father always said you wouldn't be able to keep me locked up forever…:_

**:…Crap. If you can't be nice enough to stay sealed, at least shut up and leave me in peace.:**

_:I can't do that. If I did that, who would advise you:_

**:Look, you baka, I did perfectly without you for dozens of years. Now, shut up so I can think.:**

_:For now, Sesshoumaru… we shall talk again… maybe very soon…:_

**:…:**

_:Wouldn't you like that:_

**:…:**

_:I hate it when you ignore me. Bye:_

**:Thank heavens you're finally leaving.:**

"Something on your mind, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, looking down at him. He blinked dazedly, still disorientated from the short argument he'd just had… with himself. He hadn't heard any movement… had he been distracted or was she just that silent? "Why did you sneak up on me, human?" he finally questioned, running a hand through his hair idly.

"I didn't sneak up on you. You weren't paying attention. You know, that might be very dangerous for Rin…" Kagome retorted. "Nothing is dangerous to this Sesshoumaru," he replied finally, gazing at his ward as Rin frolicked about in the flowers. "And this Kagome thinks that the oh-so-cool Sesshoumaru needs to get that stick in his ass out," she mimicked his voice perfectly, eyes mocking. Sesshoumaru turned the strongest glare he had on her, and she looked back innocently, unfazed.

"Human, you will cease your joking this moment," he said finally. Kagome's eyes darkened a little, and her demeanor turned sober and thoughtful. "Is a human what you really see when you look at me?" she asked, pulling a flower from the crown she wore on her head. She plucked the petals off one by one moodily.

"What are you talking about, girl?" Sesshoumaru demanded. "I don't age. I won't die. I protect a mystical jewel. Are those the traits of an ordinary girl? Because I sure don't think so," she snapped back, a growl emanating from her small body. He stared at her, sure that the miko had lost her mind.

"Cease your endless blabbering, miko," he ordered, lacking anything else to say, having no idea how to reply to that question. A human would always remain a human – wasn't that so? Kagome tossed the flower onto the soil and ground her heel into it, gritting her teeth. "You really are a jerk, Sesshoumaru," she spat and walked away from him, head held high.

He saw her kneel down and speak to Rin, but couldn't hear her words. The wind was against him, blowing her voice away Rin's face scrunched up as though she was about to cry, but Kagome patted her head and reassured her. She tossed another glare back in his direction and called to Kirara, who had curled up for a catnap. In a flash of hot flame they were reduced to a speck in the sky, heading away.

----------

"Rin, I'm leaving now, okay?" Kagome knelt down and looked at the child solemnly. Rin frowned, not wanting her new friend to leave so soon. "I think I really have to go, Rin… I promise, I'll come back and find you, okay?" she offered. Rin nodded joyfully, grinning from ear to ear. Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru over her shoulder, only to find him giving her that cool and freaky golden stare. She shuddered a little and called to Kirara. She ran over and vaulted onto the fire-cat's back, and they soared away.

Kagome bent over Kirara's neck, lessening the chill of the wind as Kirara ascended higher and higher. For some strange reason, she felt hurt by Sesshoumaru brushing her off… it was as though they had been close in some other life – as though she had other memories of him hidden, locked away in her mind. 'Am I still human? Can I actually still be considered a human? Do I actually belong to any race?' Kagome buried her face in Kirara's warm neck ruff, and her tears soaked the long creamy strands of fur. Kirara purred comfortingly as Kagome wrapped her arms around the neck of the faithful fire-cat.

----------

A/N: Hello, minna-san! I'm back again… and earlier than expected, too! I shall not be updating regularly during my holidays – I shall update whenever I have time to complete a chapter, which should be about twice a week or so. Now, this week's trivia question is

Who sang the opening song of Inuyasha Season 2 (Ep. 41-80) and what was the song title?

Prize remains the same, everyone : chapter dedication. Also, the answer for chapter three's trivia question was Kuranosuke. **Traveler of the World** and **know-it-all** got this right. The answer for chapter four's question was Mistress Centipede/Mukade Jourou. To tell you the truth, I wanted to ask for the Japanese name… but I forgot to specify, and as a result, many people got this one right. They are **The Squabbit, Inuyasha's hun, evuljenius, Seer of Light and Fire, Koga and Sesshy Lover, Midnight Faerie, Tamia, **and **Charlene. **Congrats! You guys got the question right.

Reviewer replies for **Chapter Three**

**Ladylillyofraza:** I enjoyed frying Jaken too. I don't really like him. Something about his toady face and suck-up attitude just ticks me off… wonder why. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Katana no Mizu Ryuu: **Gourmet meal? Oh dear… don't you think it'd taste a little… /ahem/ funny? Ugh. I wouldn't dare to eat it for fear of getting poisoned… although the lemon is a nice touch. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Know-it-all: **No review is crappy, unless it's a pointless flame. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Watergoddesskasey:** I'm glad you think so. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Kage Bi Koori: **I'm glad you love it. Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Sweetangelkags: **Here's your update, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Koga and Sesshy Lover: **I'm really happy you do! Actually, the manga and anime do not exactly match. Kagome is portrayed as more serious and not so ditzy in the manga, whereas the anime Kagome's actions are all prompted by Inuyasha. In this, the manga is better. Always pleased to inspire someone! I don't like it when people don't update, so I try to do so regularly… Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Inuyasha's hun: **I'm happy you think it's awesome! It's one of the greatest compliments a fanfic author can receive. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Sarah h: **Yes, I think Jaken deserved it too… what an idiot he is. I always try to add in a little Jaken bashing in each chapter, but I didn't get to do so in this one… never mind. I can torture him some more next time. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kibou hope: **I don't intend to make things end quickly. I agree, such fics are not very good. Neither are the fics based completely on sex. Nothing goes into the relationship buildup, and I intend to make my fic a good one. Thanks for saying you'll follow this! It means a lot to me. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**1kenshinlover: **You'll be surprised how many people have made jokes about me frying Jaken and stuff… really. Don't worry, it's not mean. I do the same thing… all the time. Hehe. Can't resist. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Nomadgirl66: **Felines rock! Yay! Here's your update, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Traveler of the World:** Woah, I can't remember what episode it was myself! You really are obsessed… sweatdrop but that explains how you answered the question.  Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Midnight Faerie:** Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome21: **Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Review replies for CHAPTER FOUR**

**Sarah h: **Of _course_ it's coincidence. Maybe. I'm not really trying to torture him – who would want to? He's cute. I just wanna mess around with his head for a bit… /grins innocently/ Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**The Squabbit: **You got it right, and you were also the first one to do so! Congratulations. This chapter is dedicated to you and two others.  Hope you're happy. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Inuyasha's hun: **The bad thing about writing Sesshoumaru's mother is that we don't know what she's like since she is not featured in the anime OR manga at all. She does not even have a name. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Evuljenius: **I'm glad you like this. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**IYGURL: **Here's your update. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Seer of Light and Fire: **Well, you got it right. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome21: **Would it? This is a matter that may or may not be resolved – on my whim. Hehe… I'm evil, aren't I? Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Mimi1000: **Not exactly. It's Mistress Centipede. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome-chan: **But of course this lowly author shall bow to the will of the mighty reviewer… Okay, that was lame. Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Koga and Sesshy Lover: **You really don't know how much that means to me. Thank you so much! And thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Midnight Faerie: **Close enough, although your spelling was wrong. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kimi: **Well, not exactly. But you can have a cookie if you like/tosses you a chocolate chip cookie/ enjoy. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Balmung's angel: **Thanks for saying so. Means a lot to me. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Emily: **Oh no… they're DEFINITELY not family. Kagome is human, and Sesshoumaru is youkai. They are NOT family. Ugh. I didn't think it could be taken that way… how scary. And yes, you're right. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**XoKayeBabyoX: **I'm glad you do. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Burningcherry55: **Okay, I will check out your fic. The Shikon no Tama allows guys to touch Kagome, as long as it is not sexual. If it's a friend to friend thing, or fighting, it's okay. This was proven by Miroku and Inuyasha in Chapter One. Thanks for reviewing and offering to be my editor, please continue (reviewing that is.)

**Kage Bi Koori: **It's nice to receive compliments, don't worry. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Nomadgirl66: **Ah… now I can't answer that…although I think it's obvious to everyone by now. Yep. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagomemikogoddess: **Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Tamia: **You got it right. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Darkflame1516: **I'm glad you do. Sesshoumaru's mother is a full-blooded black dog youkai, which explains her black hair and eyes. Kagome simply resembles her. You were right! Congrats. I've been busy these few days, so I haven't had time to read yet. When I do, I'll be sure to review! Don't worry about that, ne? Thanks for putting this in favorites and reviewing, please continue.

**Kimmichiwa: **Here's your update! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**1kenshinlover: **Thanks for wishing me luck on my exams! I think I failed Science though… so sad… my parents are gonna kill me. Oh well. Can't have everything. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Staysee: **I'm glad you think so. I don't like Jaken either. He's an idiot. Here's your update! Thanks for the compliments and the review, please continue.

**Charlene: **You're right! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Lena Rivers: **Yes, well, I write angst best. Kagura and Kanna are not dead, they have temporarily disappeared. They will come back in the middle of the story to give Kagome some help. Yes, Rin is still alive and kicking with Sesshoumaru. Shippou is currently missing. No, he's not dead. I'm glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

Ah, that took a while. My fingers hurt now. I believe I shall go and read a book. Thanks for the great reviews, everyone! I love all of you for reviewing. You're all great people! hands out marshmallows and cookies to everyone who reviewed

Please remember to review!

kyasarinyume07 signing off. Bye everyone! Have a nice day.


	6. Flight of the Dove

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **Hanyou Lord125** for getting the trivia question right.

Chapter 6: Flight of the Dove

Kagome leaned against the rough bark of the majestic tree, eyes trained on the flickering flames in the middle of the clearing. The sun was setting, the inky darkness of night encroaching on the clear brightness of day. Kirara was curled up in her lap, tired out from the day's journey. The calming sounds of the forest animals preparing for a night of rest surrounded them, her personal favorite lullaby. Kirara's ears pricked up and she jumped from her warm bed. Kagome listened carefully.

She picked up the distinctive song of a dove, one she had trained to be in her service. Raising two fingers to her lips, she whistled a snatch of tune, guiding the bird towards her. She heard the cry of the approaching avian as it followed her signal. A few minutes later, the dove stooped from the sky above, a streak of white and gray against the impending darkness. It landed on her outstretched wrist, cooing and twittering. The female dove she had named Rinoa held out her leg, revealing the paper of a message wrapped about the limb. Gently, she detached the scrap, and Rinoa flew to a perch in the nearest tree, tucking her head under her wing. She'd had a long flight, and she was weary. Kagome scanned the parchment quickly.

_Miko-sama, _she read

_Our village is in dire need of help. Animated skeletons have been seen in the forest. Please come to our aid. _

_Kachi_

She still remembered, Rinoa had been left in a small village a day's flight from here. If she and Kirara both transformed, they could be there in half a day. Folding up the message, she tucked it into a billowing black sleeve and sat down again. Power spilled from her palms; sparkling violet fire raced to form a shield stretching overhead. She broke the fiery ribbon of magic, and watched as the barrier rippled, then firmed. She curled up on one side, one finger idly toying with the tip of Kirara's twitching ear, gazing at the dancing fire as darkness blanketed the land.

-----The Next Morning-----

"All right, Kirara. Let's begin. Rinoa, you take your time going back, there's no need for you to rush," Kagome tapped the bird on her beak, smiling, before gracefully stepping back. Pink flame veiled her blurring form, and when it cleared, an elegant black panther stood in her place. Releasing a loud roar, she surged forward. Kirara zoomed above her, fire wreathing her paws and tails, a flash of crimson and cream against the clear azure sky. Rinoa rocked from foot to foot, annoyed at the wind of their passing, for it had ruffled her feathers up. She put them all neatly back in place before extending her wings and rapidly rising higher, until she was only a speck of white.

----------

Kagome sped forward, muscles moving swiftly in concert. She barely avoided crashing into trees and rocks that mysteriously cropped up in her path more than a few times. Her sensitive black button-like nose itched, unused to the heightened sensitivity and scents. Her mobile ears swiveled on the top of her head, hearing the whoosh of the wind as Kirara swept past overhead.

----------

She walked into the village named Shakkan a few hours later, back in her human form, Kirara perched on her shoulder and looking about in interest. She heard muffled whispers from the wooden huts scattered about, and the people slowly left their perceived 'safety' and approached her. A man named Kachi, the village headman, who had written the letter, was at the head of the crowd.

"Miko-sama, we are glad that you spared the time to help this worthless village…" Kachi babbled. Kagome winced. Evidently, his conciseness on paper did nothing for his endless chatter in reality. She raised a hand, effectively cutting him off. She noticed him shooting curious glances at Kirara, and answered his unspoken question. "She is my pet," she said. Her eyes conveyed a rather expressive message. _Not that it's any of your business._

"H-hai, Miko-sama," he nodded repeatedly. It made him look like a jack-in-the-box, one of those funny toys in the future. "You stated that animated skeletons were seen in the area, no?" she asked. "Hai, Miko-sama. They were seen in the north woods, and also, we have seen a few small youkai about," Kachi said in a rush, pointing. Kagome nodded to him, smiling politely at the people, before walking northwards.

----------

There was a smile etched on Kagome's serene face as she sensed an aura that she recognized well. Picking up her pace, she started walking faster, in an effort to reach the person. Kirara mewed and jumped to the ground, trotting along obediently. A breeze rustled past them, shaking the remaining red and orange leaves of autumn from the trees. Kagome could hear the soothing sound of water running, and the sunlight reflected off the shallow brook nearby.

Kagome smiled as the aura came closer and closer, speeding towards her.

A beautiful girl dropped out of the sky, a feather clasped between two fingers daintily. "Yo," she said, reaching up and fixing it back into her hair.

"Hello, Kagura," Kagome smiled. Kirara mewed happily, and wove a figure eight around Kagura's ankles. "Long time no see. Did you come to see me, or are you just passing by?" Kagura asked. "Actually, the village nearby said they saw walking skeletons in these woods, and I came to check it out," Kagome shrugged. Kagura sighed heavily.

"The skeletons were controlled by me," she admitted guiltily. Kagome gave her a funny look. "I thought you didn't harm humans, Kagura… I didn't want to hurt you," she frowned, upset. Kagura looked startled.

"Oh, no, they weren't dispatched to raid villages," she exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "Huh?" Kagome asked intelligently. "My fan broke in a fight I had to protect that village – I sent the skeletons to get me spider silk, so I could weave a new one," she held up her fan, which indeed looked brand new and untried. Kagome laughed, smiling. "I knew you wouldn't do that. I would have thought you did enough killing of humans under Naraku," she grinned.

----------

"We haven't seen each other in a really long time," Kagome plopped down on the hillside lazily, Kirara seated by her hand. Kagura sat beside her, fan in one hand. "Yeah," she agreed, looking up at the sky. "So, where's Kanna?" Kagome asked curiously. At Kagura's flick of her fan, the winds rushed to surround them, cooling them down. The autumn sunshine beat down on them. Their long hair was gently borne on the breeze, trailing out behind them.

Kagura looked different now – if Kagome had not detected her aura, she might not have recognized the wind user. Naraku had dressed her in shades of white, maroon and gold – she now wore a purple under kimono and a blue outer one, along with a silver obi tied around her waist. Her mocking, laughing crimson eyes were the same, and she was as sarcastic and full of arrogance as ever. Glossy ringlets of black hair cascaded over her shoulders, freed from its former high ponytail. Her earrings were the same, five shrinking turquoise beads glued together, dangling from each delicately pointed elfin ear. She wore cherry red lipstick, and it suited her. Her eyes were outlined with kohl, and the effect was striking. Her feathers used to be bound up in her ponytail, now they were braided in. Her fan had been dyed a pale purple color, and a pair of blue ribbons dangled from the end, replacing the formerly red ones. The wood frame, instead of normal pale wood, was painted black, and stood out against the light spider silk. The spider mark on her back was gone too, erasing the only link between her and her cruel creator, Naraku. Kagura had been so happy when it vanished, she and Kanna had come to tell Kagome personally, celebrating late into the night.

"Kanna decided to do a little traveling," Kagura sighed out. "She was not content here. She prefers to wander – just as you do," she continued, sneaking a sidelong glance at Kagome's profile. "Strange. I would never have pegged Kanna down as the type who wasn't content to stay in the same place for more than three days," Kagome mused. "So where did she go?" she asked, idly sifting a hand through her hair, straightening the errant strands. "She intended to go to China to explore. I can only hope that she will make it back safe and sound," Kagura explained. Kagome smiled. "You know, you treat Kanna more like your daughter than like your little sister," she teased lightheartedly. "N-nonsense!" Kagura blushed, pale pink tinting her usually porcelain white face.

"So what have you been doing lately?" Kagura asked, lying down on her back. "I ran into Sesshoumaru and the little girl who follows him around, Rin," Kagome said absent-mindedly. "Sesshoumaru? Has he gotten any nicer? You know, he's cute, but he was soooo cold to me, I decided that I had better not put any moves on him," Kagura giggled like a teenage girl, whom she definitely wasn't.

"Nah, he's still the same – the Ice Prince is really a good nickname for him, ne?" Kagome laughed, a smile tilting the corners of her lips. "Well, maybe someday someone will defrost the Ice Prince. Who knows, you might be the one to do it!" Kagura snatched the opportunity to get her own back for that jibe about her acting like a mother. Kagome mimed falling over, defeated, laughing all the time. "Fine, fine, I give up already – but there's no way that will happen," she chuckled.

"Why not?" Kagura asked, obviously intending to delve further into the matter. "He's a taiyoukai. I'm a miko. How can we possibly be friends?" Kagome shook her head, serious now. "Strange things have happened before. Look at us. I'm a youkai, born of Naraku, and you are the miko, Naraku's greatest enemy. Are we not good friends now?" Kagura pointed out. Kagome groaned. "Must we talk about this?" she grumbled. "I suppose not," Kagura laughed. Kirara mewed excitedly, waving her tails hypnotically side to side, swatting Kagome's nose hard.

----------

A/N: Okay, another chapter done. I'm depressed today, guys. I received my end of year results today… and they are not good. I failed Maths and Geography… and I got B4 for Chinese and English… and C6 for Literature. I got D7 for both Maths and Geog… and I don't dare to tell my parents yet. I think I failed science as well… damn. Oh well. That's the reason why I decided to finish this chapter today, actually – I need the mood improving effect of receiving reviews. Oh well.

Last time's question was, what is the opening song from the second season? The answer is, I Am, by Hitomi. It's a nice song – check it out if you have the time. **Hanyou Lord125 **got this right.

Reviewer replies:

**1kenshinlover: **I hope you enjoy this one too. Actually, about the reincarnation thingy – well, you'll just have to see! But, in this fic, Sesshoumaru is about 150 years old and his mother died when he was 10. That's a long time indeed… Thanks for reviewing! Please continue.

**Koga and Sesshy Lover: **Hi! Good to hear from you again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Kagura makes her reappearance here – although she may disappear for a while again. Maybe. Maybe not. Kirara's my favorite character – couldn't bear to let her die. I like Sess calling himself an idiot too… so… unlikely to happen, ne? Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Burningcherry55:** Here's your update! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome21: **Glad you think so! Here's the update… hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kyoko super girl: **Haha! I hope lots of people like it too… wahaha. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Hanyou Lord125: **Glad you think so! Congratulations on getting the answer right first! hands you a cookie Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Midnight Faerie: **Ah – you gave me my first threat. I'm so touched… I think I'm gonna cry. AHH! Run for your lives! The dust bunnies are here! Hehe. Rin stayed alive so long – well, Kagome doesn't know how yet, so I can't tell you. But you'll find out. Here's your update! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**XoKayeBabyoX: **Hello! Oh, don't die… that would be very sad. Anyway. Here you go! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Your Crimson Death: **Nice name. Here you go! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**The Squabbit: **Hello! Well, if you answer another question quickly, you might get the chapter dedication again- you never know. Here's the update! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Nomadgirl66:** Here's the update – hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**StarPrincess2020:** Yes! Sess/Kag pairings rock! Thanks for adding me to your favorites- I'm so touched. Really. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Gothic-ember: **You cried? Twice? Wow. Is it really all THAT sad? I mean, if someone cried while reading my 'Depression', I wouldn't be surprised, but I thought this one was relatively happy compared to my other fics. Seriously. I'm more of an angst writer, but I thought I'd try my hand at romance. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue, all right?

**Pricelessprincess:** Here you go! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Aaliyahluvah: **Oh, story's not gonna finish for a while – I don't want them to fall in love quickly, because it takes the fun out of everything. Thanks for reviewing! Please continue.

**Traveler of the World:** Me-chan? Cute nickname! Hmm… I'll do that the next time I write an argument featuring him on both ends. I'll bear that in mind. Thanks for the tip! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome-chan: **Wow! Thanks for saying so – means a lot to me. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue, all right?

**Inuyasha's hun:** Hey there! Well, here's the sixth chapter – hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing – please continue, ok?

**Hermonine:** I'm glad you think so. Here's your update! Hope you like it. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**AlwaysSearching:** I'm glad you do. Yeah – I don't like Kagome as a demon – she's a human, and she will stay one in my fic! Hmm… actually that's not set yet. I haven't decided… I thought it would be easier for Sesshoumaru to accept her because she looks so much like someone he loved. And that can also be the basis of a major fight they might have. Haha! Not gonna divulge anymore. Oops, you didn't learn much this time – I just reintroduced Kagura. Sesshoumaru didn't even appear in this chapter. I just realized. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kage bi Koori: **Hey! Here you go… hope you like it. Thanks for reviewing… please continue, ok?

**Youkai99Angel: **Hello! I haven't really decided – I don't think I will bring him back in this fic- let him mysteriously vanish. I haven't really considered how Sesshoumaru keeps Rin alive. I was thinking maybe a potion, but using Tenseiga is also a good idea. Like, maybe, the sword tied Rin's life to Sesshoumaru's, so she'll only die when he does. Hmm… that might work. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm glad you do… I love yours too! Aww… this is getting sort of fluffy. Thanks for reviewing, please continue! (And please update!) I'm glad you found the time to review – I know you're really busy and stuff. Thanks again!

Right, now that I'm done with that. If anyone has spare time to check out my blog, please do so and tag on it! My blog address is… http// oniongirlzworld. blogspot. com minus the spaces. Ok?

And this time's question is, what is the name of the witch who revived Kikyo? Japanese name, people – not English.

Gotta go now… have a good week, everyone!

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. Remember to review! Brighten my day up – I could really use it now. Or I might end up biting someone's head off and sent to jail for murder. Ugh. Wouldn't want that to happen.


	7. Rebirth

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **StarPrincess2020.**

Chapter 7: Rebirth

A tall man dressed all in black leather approached Naraku's gravesite silently, his boots making no sound on the hard-packed earth. His piercing blue eyes scanned the clearing every few seconds, all his senses on high alert. He moved like a predator – big, quiet, on the hunt. He paid no attention to the evil aura lurking about. After all, he was the epitome of evil itself, in a sense. One needle-sharp white fang shone in the moonlight as he bared his teeth.

As he walked past the grave, a chilly wind began to blow. His raven shoulder-length hair floated on the breeze, streaming out behind, shining coolly in the moonlight. The stars twinkled dimly in the blue velvety sky, and the full moon shone like a lamp.

A gray orb of smoke shot out of the grave, swirling around in a ghostly manner. As the vampire sensed the foreign presence and turned around, the smoke sped towards his head and smashed directly into it. It melted into his head.

The vampire screamed as the pain made itself known. It felt as though someone was running red hot wires through his veins, sending lightning to crisp his nerves, as though his brain was being pulled to pieces. With one final shriek, his mind shattered.

He straightened up. A new light filled his eyes, a mocking, evil look. "My name… is Kariyu," he said in a low, musical voice. "And I am reborn!" Chilling laughter filled the air, and the leaves on the trees shivered from the creepiness of it.

----------

Kagura jerked out of her sleep, panting heavily. She was up in a tree, leaning on the main trunk. She used her fan to cool her sweat as she concentrated on taking in more oxygen and calming herself. That dream – couldn't possibly be real.

"Are you so sure of that?" a voice asked. Kagura almost toppled off the branch in shock. Kagome was long gone, she had left hours ago, and she was no slow traveler. No one was here to help her fight. Would her strength be sufficient by herself? Not even Kanna was here to aid her. Why was she so sure that this would be where her end would be?

A red orb of sparking energy formed in the vampire's hands, swelling larger and larger every second. "My name is Kariyu. You were the servant of my former body. So you shall be my servant again, and there shall be no escape for you this time," the vampire's eyes sparkled, a turquoise that seemed to see right into Kagura's soul and exposed all her weaknesses. The crimson energy flew right at her, bright as her own eyes. She didn't even have time to scream as it knocked into her, sending her flying. It sank into her body, and then darkness blanketed her mind.

"Stand, Kagura," Kariyu ordered. Her body stood up. She could still see, still feel, but the control of her own body was not hers to take. She followed his orders – no matter how much she fought, she would never be able to break free.

"Go, and kill the miko who visited you. Her scent is all over you," Kariyu commanded, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Kagura could only nod and depart, lost in despair.

----------

Kagome looked up as she realized that Kagura was flying towards her on her regular white feather. She smiled as Kagura dropped down to the ground, landing in a crouch. "Something you needed, Kagura?" she turned back to Kirara, who eyed Kagura suspiciously, sensing something wrong. The fire-cat's red eyes closed as Kagome scratched her ruff, and she purred in bliss. "Yes," Kagura said, drawing her fan out from her sleeve.

With a swift movement, she plunged it into Kagome's back, gaining a strangled gasp of pain and shock from the unsuspecting miko. Hot blood spurted out, almost scorching Kagura's fingers, and staining her kimono. Kirara loosed a furious roar as Kagome fell. Kagura wrenched the fan away and sent a barrage of Wind Blades at the demon cat. The rotating crescent-shaped blades tore at Kirara's hide and a pained cry tore from her throat, as she transformed back into her kitten shape, bleeding and unconscious.

Kagura summoned her feather again and soared away, heart hurting in secret.

----------

Sesshoumaru sniffed again. That couldn't be right – the miko was too powerful to be killed just like that. But he scented blood, copious amounts of the life-giving liquid, and it was hers. That he was sure of. The smell of the fire-cat's blood was on the wind as well, but less of it. Would Rin be sad if the miko was dead? Probably. Perhaps she was not dead – perhaps she was only badly injured. He would save her if it would keep Rin from crying.

"Stay here," he said to his three followers. "Where are you going, Sesshoumaru-sama, please take this worthless one with you…" Jaken begged. A cold glare silenced him instantly. "Come back soon, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin waved, smiling brightly. He never wanted to see that smile wiped off her face. Aun huffed softly, all four eyes trained on him. The sparkling cloud formed under his feet, and he levitated off.

----------

Blood soaked the soil, running deeper and deeper as Sesshoumaru arrived on the scene. Silently, he looked at the bodies lying prostrate on the ground, blood rapidly seeping from both of them. A stab wound was in Kagome's back. She had been attacked from behind, and obviously she had not known of the person there, or… she had been attacked by someone she perceived as an ally, or a friend. Kirara's wounds were not that bad, not life-threatening at all. But the miko's – now that was something else. The weapon had gone precariously near to the heart, and with each heartbeat, her blood was pumped out of her body. If she was not treated, she would die of blood loss very soon.

Sesshoumaru landed on the ground gingerly, wincing when the sticky blood stained his soft black shoes. He bent down and pressed a palm against Kagome's open wound, trying to staunch the flow but only succeeding in making his hand dirty. He gazed at the one hand covered in blood. His demon blood wasn't screaming for him to go on a rampage, wasn't crying out for him to soak himself in blood. It wasn't telling him to go and shed more – it remained uncharacteristically silent. That in itself was unusual – why?

Sesshoumaru hesitated. There was a way to speed healing, but it involved a little more contact than he wanted with a mere human, miko or not. But there was no other way – this was what he had to do, if he didn't want to smell Rin's tears.

He bent over her, and cut away the cloth surrounding her wound. Inclining his head forward, he stuck his tongue out and licked at the edges of the gaping wound. The taste of her blood hit his tongue – a spicy sweetness that was intoxicating. Her scent, even though she was wounded, was still nice – warm musk, cinnamon, and spring flowers.

Sesshoumaru carefully licked the whole wound clean, leaving his saliva behind. The saliva of a demon or half-demon had healing properties, as did animal's saliva. That was why dogs and cats licked their wounds – to promote healing. He was enjoying the taste of her blood, and it was almost making him dizzy.

The wound began to shrink, little by little, and Sesshoumaru carried her to a clean part of the grass and turned his attention to Kirara. Plucking a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the blood off her, noting that her wounds were already closing. He was a dog demon, and she was a fire-cat – the two breeds definitely did not exactly get on well together. She would survive. After all, she was a demon. They were alive – just not conscious yet.

He cradled Kagome in his one arm, and tossed Kirara into the miko's lap. The cloud of ki formed beneath the sole of his shoes, and they lifted off smoothly.

----------

Jaken gaped as Sesshoumaru landed on the ground with a barely audible thump, Kagome snuggled up to him and Kirara unconscious in her lap. "Sesshoumaru-sama, why have you brought the ningen to our camp? Is one filthy human not enough?" Jaken cried out in protest. A glare silenced him, and Rin ran up to the tiny toad demon immediately. "Jaken-sama called me a filthy human!" she shouted in indignation, and knocked him flying with a blow of a clenched fist. Sesshoumaru put Kagome down, and handed Kirara to Rin, with the order to take care of her

----------

Kagome's eyes opened. She felt different – weightless, almost. The world around her was foggy, and nothing could be seen in any direction. She tensed as a shadow approached, her hand automatically going to the quiver of arrows on her back that was simply not there.

Midoriko stepped out of the mist, wearing her usual silks and armor. "Ah, Midoriko-sama," Kagome greeted her trainer in relief. "Kagome," the deceased spirit inclined her head in greeting. "I have come to tell you that another evil has been born," Midoriko sighed. "It seems that Naraku was not really himself, and was in fact possessed. The one who controlled him lives, and has taken on another body. He seeks to revenge himself upon you – your life and your companions' lives are in danger," she said solemnly.

----------

A/N: And another chapter finished. Sorry for taking so long to update this time – I was doing some serious thinking about this fic, and I was seriously considering putting it on hiatus. Thankfully, I have found a better solution, and now I have pointed this fic in a new direction, thus introducing the new villain this time – Kariyu the vampire. I've been brainstorming on this, and now that I know what to do, I think I can write faster – hopefully! Also, I celebrated my birthday on Oct. 22 and so… was not very free.

Reviewer Replies:

**Kyoko super girl: **Yeah, I'm Chinese… sort of. I'm actually Singaporean – Singapore is a multiracial country. My Chinese and English are now my best subjects. Don't worry. Get yourself a Chinese best friend and your Chinese will improve. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Ladylillyofraza:** I have a feeling you may not like this… especially if you are a Kagura fan. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Azera-v:** Well, Kagome and Kagura can't be friends anymore – due to Kariyu. But maybe, at the end… Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kuri:** Sorry for not updating sooner. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Shadows stalk during the deep of night:** That's one long username you got there. Are you Inuyasha's hun? You ended the review the same way as she did. Well, it did! Thanks. Yeah, I like Kagura too. Sadly, what was done had to be done. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Me:** Hello! Here's your update… sorry it's late. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Midnight Faerie:** No, I won't tell you now. Sooner or later, Kagome will ask, and then you will know. Be patient! Yep, people can dream. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**StarPrincess2020:** It took me a while to understand that, but I think I got most of it. Yeah, I agree – thanks for reviewing, please continue. Also, you got the question right – congratulations to you.

**The Squabbit:** Oops… wrong. Tsubaki was the koromiko (black miko) who cursed-controlled Kagome and tried to curse Kikyou but failed. Better luck next time! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome21:** Hi! Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, pkease continue.

**Fluffys Beautiful Mate: **Hi! You're new to the story right? (: Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Gothic-Ember:** Emotions are strong too – Kagome can only really be strong when she's angry, remember? Haha. Oops… Kagura's back to evil, but not by choice. Here's your update! Thanks for reviewing, please remember.

**Seized Sanity:** You got the answer right, but you were the second person to do so. Thanks for trying out and reviewing, please continue, ok?

**XoKayeBabyoX: **Well, if you thought the last wait was long, this must have been an eternity. Haha. Sorry, it wasn't deliberate. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Traveler of the World:** Hi! Oops, you were the third to answer, so… never mind, ok? Better luck next time. And yes, Naraku is totally a psycho, but in my story, it's not his fault. For only this. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kage Bi Koori:** I'll consider it, really. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome-chan:** Totally. In the anime and manga, Naraku dressed Kagura in such weird colors. But whatever. Shows that Naraku's fashion sense is totally shot. What's with the baboon suit anyway? Disgusting. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Darkflame1516: **No need to worry about my grades anymore – my parents seem to have forgotten all about them temporarily. Haha. That is, until I get my report book. Ugh! Hmm… maybe next time will be better. What's boot camp? Don't have that in Singapore. Care to elaborate? Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Hermonine:** Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing.

----------

I just wanted to ask – what happened to the reviewers of my earlier chapters? Like 1kenshinlover, Kouga and Sesshy Lover, Nomadgirl66, IYGURL, Katana no Mizu Ryuu? Don't you like me anymore/sniffle/ Please start reviewing again – I miss reading them. It just… sort of touches me when someone follows my story from the start and tells me how they feel about it. (On a side note, that was kind of fluffy.)

Answer to last time's question was Urasue. Three people got it right – you guys know who you are. This time's question… Shippou's parents were killed by two demons, and . Please fill in the blanks, ok? Good. Yay.

If you guys are looking for a story to read, I recommend 'Tales from the House of the Moon' by Resmiranda because it's a really great story. It's Sess/Kag too, and everyone is totally in character.

Okay, I've gotta go now. Bye minna-san.

-kyasarinyume07-


	8. Enlightening

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **kibou hope**, who is now my beta reader.

Chapter 8: Enlightening

Kagome stared at the ancient warrior miko in disbelief. "Me? Why would he choose to come after me?" she asked, voice wavering a little, almost inaudible in the emptiness they currently faced each other in. Midoriko shrugged. "You destroyed his former host. I think I know who it is – it's probably the one who led the army of demons against me. He was a coward, hiding behind his soldiers. When I created the Shikon no Tama, he managed to escape, since he was far away. I did not have the strength necessary to drag him into it. Thus, he lives, like a parasite, by leeching onto other people," Midoriko explained, a bitter look entering her eyes. Kagome nodded, a long finger tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Wait a minute – backtrack a bit. You said he would endanger my companions' lives – I only have one companion, and that's Kirara," Kagome frowned, uncomprehending. "Ah, yes. Kirara. I remember her well, she was faithful to me. When Kagura stabbed you, Sesshoumaru scented your blood and came to look for you. He carried you back, and both you and Kirara are with him," Midoriko's eyes sparkled with amusement. Kagome groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Ironic, isn't it? I'm a miko who exterminates demons! And here I am, saved by one…" Kagome looked around for a wall or tree to bang her head against.

"Sometimes, Fate has a way of making all your efforts feel futile," Midoriko remarked, a faraway look in her eyes. "What do you mean by that?" Kagome stopped looking about and stared unrelentingly at her mentor. "There's no time to tell you now, Kagome – I believe it's time for you to wake up," The ghost of a bittersweet smile tilted her lips, and with that, the foggy world that Kagome called dreamland faded away, growing mistier and more indistinct.

----------

Kagome awoke to find Rin's face hovering over hers. She blinked up at the little child, then smiled tentatively. "Uhh… hi?" she ventured, wincing at the lameness of it. "Kagome-chan! You are finally awake!" Rin clapped her hands and backed away a little, allowing the confused miko girl to sit up. She felt soreness in her back, but when she pressed her palm to the painful spot, she did not feel the sticky wetness of blood. Supporting herself against the tree at her back, she glanced around. Kirara lay at her side, still unconscious. Sesshoumaru stood a little distance away, back turned to them. Jaken was scurrying about, packing up, shooting occasional glances at Kagome and Kirara. Aun reclined on the ground, both heads stretched out lazily, watching Rin prance about.

"W-what happened?" she asked, hating the tremble in her voice. After such a long period of struggling to be strong, she felt weak now, in the presence of Sesshoumaru, no less. She wished that the ground would open up and provide her a hiding place. "Do you remember nothing?" he said indifferently, not bothering to look at her. She lifted Kirara into her lap, and stroked the smooth creamy fur gently.

"I remember bits and pieces – I remember Kagura came, and then pain, lots of it… then darkness," Kagome confessed, shaking her head in puzzlement. "Then that is what happened. Kagura attacked you while your back was turned and fled," he seemed as cold as ice, but Kagome knew that wasn't the truth, as Rin ran up to him and his hand was laid on her head.

Kagome shook her head from side to side violently. "No! Kagura is my friend," she denied the accusation vehemently. "Then you are a fool as much as she," came the swift reply. Kagome hesitated. Should she share Midoriko's wisdom with a killer like him? The two sides of her warred within, and she could practically hear them arguing. In the end, the rational part won out, and she wondered where to begin.

"I… had a dream," she said, idly hoping that it didn't sound as stupid to him as it did to her. He remained silent, and that encouraged her, in a way. "Do you know of the creator of the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome asked, running a finger over Kirara's ear. A silvery mist emanated from her hands and blanketed the fire-cat, who still remained unconscious. The wounds began to glow a bright silver, as she sped up the process of healing. "Midoriko," he answered, sounding bored. "Yes, Midoriko. She came to me when I slept… she said that Naraku was possessed," she related. Sesshoumaru said nothing, seemingly dumbstruck.

"And she also said that his possessor has moved on to a new host, and that he still seeks revenge," Kagome finished, inhaling deeply. The healing mist vanished, and Kirara opened her eyes with a weak mew. "You lie," Sesshoumaru said distantly, emotionless. "I do not," Kagome glared at him. "You are delusional," he finally turned, and shot her The Look. "And you've got a stick shoved too far up your ass!" she yelled at him, finally losing patience.

"I will not lower myself to trade insults with you, human," he said, looking down his nose at her. She took a deep breath. And another. And yet another. She heard a soft whisper, as though someone spoke to her. "Patience." Was all the voice said. She blinked, looking around. No one was there. She dismissed it as her imagination, but agreed that the advice was good.

"Give Midoriko a chance. She is real, she lives within me. She has magic of her own," a pleading tone entered Kagome's voice. "Why should I believe you?" Sesshoumaru shot a question back at her, eyes narrowed. "Why shouldn't you trust me? I killed Naraku. I protect the jewel. I am a miko, and mikos do not lie," she listed out her reasons one by one, earning a second glare from the taiyoukai, who didn't enjoy being mocked. Rin looked back and forth between the two adults, before wandering away, unnoticed. She walked through the trees alone, thrilling at the sensation of wind ruffling through her hair, letting it stream out behind her.

Sesshoumaru glared at her, as she stared back at him unyieldingly. Their two gazes locked, caught in a battle of wills. The challenge was on, as they both refused to look down or away. Seconds ticked into minutes, and both remained as stubborn as ever. They only tore their gazes apart when a shrill shriek ripped through the air, piercing Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears.

----------

Rin screamed as the coils of a serpent demon wrapped around her tightly, binding her arms to her body. A man stood watching her with eyes of deepest blue, and hair as black as night. Sadistic enjoyment was evident on his face as he watched her get squeezed tighter and tighter, the breath driven out of her lungs as she gasped for oxygen. Cerulean eyes glittered with malice as Rin struggled to free herself.

All of a sudden, Kariyu somersaulted away, landing in a wary crouch, just as Toukijin was thrust into the space where he had been. Sesshoumaru stood there, Toukijin already drawn and ready to attack. Kagome was just behind him, an arrow nocked to her bowstring and eyes narrowed in suspicion. Kariyu looked on with interest as her purification powers flared to life, wreathing her in a halo of pink light.

Sheathing Toukijin, Sesshoumaru swept past Kariyu in a gust of wind, swiping at the snake demon who imprisoned Rin with glowing green claws. The demon exploded, and Rin was safe in Sesshoumaru's arm. He landed on the ground and shooed Rin into a bush, where she silently observed, duly chastened for walking off alone.

Kagome tucked the arrow back into the quiver, and Kariyu tensed as orbs of violet flame gathered in her hands. Tiny dabs of fire danced in the air around her, weaving a pattern around her. Kariyu dodged a fireball by doing a back flip. The fireball impacted on a tree, and as Kagome followed its trajectory with her eyes, she spotted another figure standing by that same tree. She strained to see, and Kariyu followed her gaze with amusement. "Kagura, come out," he ordered.

Kagura felt her body obey, even as her mind screamed denial and anger. Kagome fell back, a wounded look in her eyes when she saw the dried blood on Kagura's fan – blood that she knew belonged to her. But there was something wrong with her former friend who wielded the powers of the wind.

Kagura moved jerkily, almost like a doll. Her arm movements were smooth enough as she brought her fan up to a guard position, but she wasn't as graceful as she used to be. The chilling lack of emotion in her eyes was definitely suspicious. Where was the vibrant wind sorceress who felt things so deeply and wasn't afraid to admit it? Where was the expression in her eyes?

Kagome returned her attention to Kariyu, eyes glowing with hatred as he chuckled at her inner turmoil. "Who are you?" Sesshoumaru demanded, red streaking his vision as he fought back his blood beast. "Me? I am Kariyu," the vampire smirked visibly, running a hand through his tresses of black silk lazily. "Why are you fighting us?" an upset demon lord ground out his question. "You don't know? I thought Midorik – Never mind. If you don't know, there's no reason to tell you. Although I am surprised at your stupidity, Sesshoumaru," Kariyu laughed, sending a shiver down Kagome's spine.

"I know why." Kagome's voice was steady, surprising herself. Kariyu turned back to her. "Ah, yes, little miko. You should know. But I am not here to fight you today," he said. A barrier surrounded him as Sesshoumaru attacked with Toukijin.

"Goodbye for now. I'm sure we'll see each other soon," he said cheerfully, wiggling his fingers at them like an immature child. "Are we supposed to be happy with that?" Kagome snarled. Kariyu simply smirked and then faded away, vanishing into the shadows.

Sesshoumaru sheathed Toukijin with a loud 'schrik' sound, drawing Kagome's attention back to him. "Now do you believe me?" Kagome demanded.

----------

A/N: Tadah! Another chapter done, with fight scenes too. I apologize if they suck. Writing action is not my thing, but whatever. I hope to improve in the near future… I want to say thank you to **kibou hope** for agreeing to beta read for me… thanks again! (:

Also, I got fewer reviews for the last chapter. Did I not wait long enough, or were you guys not happy with Kagura's return to evil and Kariyu's appearance? Well, I needed a villain – hopefully I will find a way to kill him off. But then again, stories are no fun without a bad guy.

The answer to last time's trivia question was Hiten and Manten, the Thunder Brothers. Quite a few people got that right, and I'm too lazy to go and search through my email inbox for their names, so whoever you are, you know. Congratulations to **kibou hope** for getting it right first.

This time's question is –

What does Kikyou's name mean? Yes, I know this is much tougher than the other questions, so I don't expect much response to this. But if anyone does get it right… well, you are really dedicated to Inuyasha, aren't you? Since this is more difficult, I'll give you a hint – think of a flower. That's right, Kikyou is named after a flower.

Reviewer responses:

**Fate's Princess**: Hi there! You liked it? Really? I thought that this chapter might not be so well received. Haha! It'll be quite a while before Sesshy and Kagome get together. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kibou hope: **Hey! Thanks for agreeing to beta read. Congratulations! You answered the first, correctly. And Rin is still a child… well, I'll get around to that soon, hopefully in the next chapter. You'll be the first to know! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Inuyasha's hun:** Wow, everyone sympathizes with Kagura. Then again, who couldn't? Yeah, it would totally suck. I would rather go kill myself… thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**StarPrincess2020:** The story would end if Naraku ever really died. However, from now on, I will refer to the villain as Kariyu. Ah… thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Gothic-ember: **Yes, Kariyu is mean. He should go take lessons from Kagome on how to be a nicer person. Oh well. Actually, Kagura has been free for a hundred years. That's quite a while. Here's the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Nomadgirl66: **I don't think Inuyasha will be coming in at any time. I will consider it though… thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**The Squabbit: **You will! I'm so touched! Thank you! Thanks for reviewing too, and please continue!

**Me: **Yes to all of those. You seem to be on a sugar high right now. (: Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kyoko super girl:** I have a suggestion… get one from China and when she can't speak English, speak Chinese. All the time. Chinese used to be my worst subject, now it's my second best thanks to her. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kitty-Euphoria: **Nope, that hasn't really been answered yet. Hopefully, that issue will be resolved soon. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Midnight Faerie: **Hey. Just thought you might wanna know that I confirmed the fact that you are the most insane reviewer I have ever had. Haha. Are you happy? Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Darkflame1516: **You like that? Really? I think a lot of people didn't like it. Hmm. Boot camp does not exist in Singapore, thankfully. You're right! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Hope Swings: **I was asking, who killed Shippou's parents? Also, I don't understand what you said… /sweatdrop/ sorry. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**1kenshinlover:** Welcome back! I've gotten over that now… Yay, you're hooked! I'm so happy! I hope your workload lessens soon… thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Ladylillyofraza: **Yeah, I made Kagura really pitiful. Oh well. Was there fluff between Kagome and Sesshoumaru? I didn't notice… /sweatdrop/ Anyway, thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**BloodRuby: **I'm glad you think so! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome21: **You don't have to thank me for updating – I think it's what I'm supposed to do anyway. Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kage Bi Koori:** Here's your update! Thanks for reviewing, please continue, ok?

**Sexymama4ever: **Really? Cool! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kouga and Sesshy Lover: **Really? Yay! I'm happy! Oh, I hope you did well for your exams. I'm so touched. Sorry for taking so long to update… thanks for reviewing!

**Kimmichiwa: **Here's your update, served warm on a bed of lettuce… okay, now that was pretty lame. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Traveler of the World: **Yes, you're absolutely right. Yeah, I love Sesshy being sweet to Rin too… it's so touching, ne? Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Tigeris:** Hi there. Sesshoumaru's blood beast is primitive, thus it sounds /cough/ stupid /cough/ In my story, all youkai have a blood beast. It does not plan ahead and does not think logically, thus it is deemed 'unintelligent'. This is what takes over when their eyes turn red. I hope this explanation satisfied you. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Hermonine:** I'm glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Sennin:** Yes! Plots must have twists, or they are not real plots! (Sorry, I feel hyper.) Explanation should be coming soon. Stay tuned for that! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Kagome-chan: **Yes, Kagura is terribly pitiful. Oh well… I intend to let Kariyu have better dress sense than Naraku. DOWN WITH WHITE BABOON SUITS! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Emotions Can Be Your Weakness Yet It Can Also Be Your Strength: **Congratulations. You have the longest username I have EVER seen. Wow! Ooh… thanks for reviewing three times. /huggles/ Thank you for the A! A pluses rock! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Won-Won-Weirdo: **Here you go. Thanks for reviewing, please continue, ne?

Okay, people… I am sorry for updating so late. I sent the chapter to my beta reader, kibou hope, but she did not reply in four to five days. So I have decided to go ahead and post the next chapter. I originally had this finished two days after the last chapter. Sorry again!

Okay, I gotta go now… I have to do my holiday homework. Have a nice week everyone! (AND YES, MY HOLIDAYS HAVE FINALLY STARTED! WAHAHAHA!)

Kyasarinyume07 signing off.


	9. Recruitment

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **TenshinoHikari88.**

Chapter 9: Recruitment

Sesshoumaru eyed her suspiciously, caught in a dilemma of sorts. If he said that he did, he would doubtless be the recipient of more than a few taunts. If he answered in the negative, he would be deluding himself, and that was not a good trait in the ruling taiyoukai of the Western Lands.

"Yes, I do," he replied reluctantly. Rin clambered out of her hiding place and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his leg. Kagome's triumphant grin broadened. Sesshoumaru braced himself for the jibes that would surely be heading his way.

But without a word more, Kagome turned to walk in the direction they had come from, flashing him a brilliant smile over her shoulder. Sesshoumaru stood glued to the spot, too confused by her to do anything else.

----------

Kagome arrived back in the clearing to find Jaken cowering against a boulder, Aun standing over him, fire in the dragon's slitted eyes. Kirara was grooming herself gracefully, sending occasional disdainful glances at the toad-thingy. Kagome frowned. "What is going on here?" she demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you, wench!" Jaken squawked, shuddering when Aun loosed a ear-shattering roar, directed right at him. "Kirara?" she asked, turning to the fire-cat, who shook her head and pointed a small paw at Aun.

Aun swung one head to look at the miko, who stood with arms akimbo. She gazed into his reptilian eyes, then listened as he grunted out something she couldn't comprehend. She held up a hand to halt his 'speech'. Black fire bloomed around her, and her form blurred.

A small dragon with silver scales stood in her place, wedge-shaped head tilted to one side in curiosity. Rin and Sesshoumaru stepped into the clearing and watched with interest. Aun garbled out a few sentences in dragon language, and stepped back as Kagome stalked forward.

The talons on her forepaws glowed blue with her power, and smoke trailed out of her nostrils. Her wings unfurled, and she reared back on her hind legs. Her scales darkened to a fiery crimson and she growled, a menacing rumbling that filled the air and turned Jaken's legs to jelly. Shaking in fear, he collapsed on the ground and futilely tried to curl up in a ball.

Kagome's right forepaw shot out and pinned Jaken to the rock, her talons gouging holes on either side of his green neck. In a burst of power, she was back in her human form, and she lifted a struggling toad into the air, fingers encircling his neck securely.

"What has happened, miko?" Sesshoumaru asked, casting a bored glance at his dangling servant. "Your 'faithful follower' called Rin a filthy human and said that she deserved to die a painful death!" her fingers tightened further. "And Aun has also informed me that this has happened many times before. You did not understand when Aun approached you."

Sesshoumaru glanced down at Rin as the scent of salt permeated the air. Aun smelled it too, and tossed both heads restlessly. Rin hid her face in the white silk of his hakama, and he could feel the wet tears staining them. The salty smell grew stronger and stronger, until he could barely stand it.

He turned his attention to Jaken, who was still whimpering in Kagome's grip. "What have you to say for yourself?" he put one hand on Rin's head protectively, narrowing his eyes at the green creature whom he had thought was faithful.

"My lord, my lord, the miko lies. She seeks to separate us, so that no one will see through her scheme to ensnare you. Rin is only a part of her plan, sire… no good will come of associating with humans. The filthy human lies…" He abruptly stopped speaking, since Kagome's hold had tightened until his eyes were almost popping out. He could barely breathe, and the world was beginning to swim, going in and out of focus. If Kagome were a youkai, she would have transformed by now, or at least let her eyes bleed red. A feral growl was rising from within her, and Jaken was turning blue from lack of air. Her hand glowed pink, and she stabbed Jaken in the shoulder with a dagger of light. The purifying miko power surrounded the wound as she dropped him, and Jaken screamed in agony as he felt his youki crumble away little by little, devoured by the miko aura.

Sesshoumaru could see what Kagome had done. She had left a tiny bit of her aura on the open wound, and Jaken would have a damper on his youkai power and suffer the agony as it was eaten away. "Allow me to dispose of him," Kagome said coldly, eyes flinty. A bright flash of light filled the clearing, and Sesshoumaru shielded his eyes with a sleeve. A golden eagle seized Jaken, talons tearing into his side, and carried him away, flying further and further. A swirl of fire surrounded Kirara as she bounded after her mistress. The forest was quiet, and the only sound was Rin's muffled sobs.

----------

Kagome arrived back, astride Kirara. Her hair was blown back in the wind of their passing, and it reflected the pale moonlight coldly. The moon was a crescent in the sky, closely resembling the crest on Sesshoumaru's forehead. He preferred the night. He had always preferred the night. The soft, pale light of the moon was more suited to him than the harsh bright sunlight that revealed all. The moonlight was alluring and mysterious, whereas the sunlight was open and revealing.

"Did you kill him?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly. He was sitting, leaning against the boulder she had pinned Jaken on. Rin's head was on his lap, and she was asleep, breathing softly, heartbeat slow and steady. Kagome looked at him in surprise. "No, I did not," she shook her head. "He was not worth the time to kill." The night's darkness veiled her face, and he could see only her cool chocolate brown eyes. "Then what did you do?" he pressed the matter further. Kagome glanced at Rin, making sure she was fully sleeping before answering. Aun raised both heads, obviously interested in the punishment Kagome had doled out to the impertinent toad.

Kagome let a cold smirk flitter over her face, although it went unnoticed in the dark. "I dropped him in an active volcano," she replied, sliding off Kirara, who immediately lay down. Kagome sat leaning against her pet, and scratched Kirara's ears. Aun huffed, satisfaction written all over it. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "You are more vicious than I thought you were, miko," he pronounced finally, and was not surprised when he received a cynical look from her. "There is no reason for me to be merciful to those who will not repent," she said, drawing a handkerchief from her pocket. She began to polish her bow, humming all the while.

"I thought that mikos were kind people and obeyed the unspoken law of 'forgive and forget'," Sesshoumaru mused aloud, earning him a second glare. "Am I an ordinary miko?" she demanded intensely, eyes glittering. He shook his head. "Then shut up until you understand more about me," she stowed the piece of silk back and curled up against Kirara, sharing warmth with the cat, who reverted to her small form and slept next to Kagome's head.

Listening to the sounds in the clearing, Sesshoumaru could hear Kagome's breathing patterns and heartbeat. He knew she wasn't sleeping, but was choosing to ignore him completely, going so far as to pretend to do it. Strangely, that fact hurt him more than he thought it would have.

----------

Jaken lay at the bottom of the mountain, having painfully crawled out. It had taken far too long to get out of that cursed place, and the sun had risen an hour ago. He was utterly spent, too exhausted to go any further. But when he saw something that moved deep within the shadows, he sat up, cursing the miko who had injured him. "Who is there?" he asked, voice cracking.

Kariyu stepped out, eyes trained on Jaken. "I am an enemy of the miko," he said, voice melodic and kind. Jaken relaxed. He looked at Kariyu, and found that his mind was growing foggy as Kariyu played with a sapphire pendant on a necklace. As he watched the light bounce off each facet of the cut jewel, he grew a little dizzy.

"What is your name?" Kariyu's voice seemed to come from far away.

"Jaken."

"Are you an enemy of the miko?"

"Yes, I am."

"If I strive to overthrow the miko, will you become my faithful servant?"

Jaken considered this for a moment, then came to a decision as the blue sapphire fogged his mind. "Yes, I will."

"Good." Kariyu swept up to him, and bent down, baring his fangs. With a sardonic smile, he buried them into Jaken's neck, drinking the blood that spurted out. Kami, it tasted horrible. How did Sesshoumaru tolerate this moron? Jaken's body went limp, and Kariyu withdrew his fangs, cleaning off the blood that remained there. His lips were stained red, and as he picked up Jaken's body, he smiled.

'Mine to use – mine to control.' He thought, baring his teeth in a feral grin.

----------

A/N: My way of saying sorry for updating so late the last time. I hope this chapter satisfies everyone. This is not beta-read, as my beta-reader has not replied my last email. Until she does so, I will continue to post per normal.

The trivia question was, what does Kikyou's name mean? A few people got that right. It means a Chinese bellflower. Anyway. **TenchinoHikari88** got that right. Congratulations!

This time's question is, "What does Sango's name mean?" I think this one is easier than the Kikyou one, so no hint.

Also, 'A Field of Flowers' by YoukaiAngel99 is very nice. Check it out!

Since I updated so soon, I have not received many reviews for the last chapter. If you have the time, please go back and review – I am trying to maintain at least 18 reviews per chapter. Please do this for me! Thank you! (:

Reviewer replies:

**Inuyasha's hun: **Oh, nothing much happened to Rin. Don't worry about that. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Me:** Wahaha. Sesshoumaru will be battered many more times before he gives in and gets that stick out. Until then – well, I have to think of something to torture him with. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Aaliyah starnight: **Glad you did. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Midnight Faerie: **Woah! Go easy, girl! Oops, I hope you manage to calm down your dust bunnies soon! Wouldn't wanna have nightmares about them. And I did update very soon, ne/blows kiss back at you/ There! Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**TenshinoHikari88:** Well, congratulations! You got it right first. Kagome and Sesshoumaru fights are so cute! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Ryu Kaze no the ankoku-no-tsuki ryu Kurohi:** You are absolutely right! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Won-Won-Weirdo: **Bad guys must try and exist for as long as possible. Well, I updated very quickly! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Dawnstar28: **It's okay! Don't worry about that. Almost right – you missed out the Chinese part. Oh well. Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**1kenshinlover: **Hi again! Kagura gets no mention in this chapter… aw. You're welcome… thanks for reviewing as always, and please continue!

**Aurora Nyte: **Firstly, let me say this – I love your username! Haha! I'm glad you think so! Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

**Hope Swings: **If that was straight forward, then Naraku is a very sweet and lovely guy. Ohh. It's okay… don't worry about it! My class is like that, and to tell you the truth, so am I, sort of. Haha! Thanks for reviewing, please continue! (And you don't have to be sorry, it doesn't matter.)

**Fluffy-sama's Angel:** Wow… that's pretty fast. And yes, you're absolutely right! To tell you the truth, I completely forgot about Kouga. /guilty look/ Yes, I admit it. I will try to get him back SOME way. Ah… now what role can he play? Thanks for reviewing, please continue!

**Kagome21: **Hey there! I was actually online when I received your review. /smiles/ actually, that goes for a lot. When I first checked my mail, I found 8 reviews. Then when I was online, it went up. Lolz. People who update once in a few months are very mean – especially if they leave cliffies. Thanks for reviewing, please continue.

Okay, that's all I've got now! If I receive anymore for the last chapter, they will be answered in the next chapter. Sooo… gotta go now, bye! Have a nice day.

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. (Next time, I may refer to myself as Yukino, because that's my Internet name right now. The numbers are a little hard to type.)


	10. Darkor

Protector

Sorry, I have no time to check my email and see who won. I promise that I will come back and change this as soon as I can. Warning: lime in the first few chapters.

Chapter 10: Darkor

Kariyu reclined in his sitting room. Jaken sat opposite him. Both held steaming cups of green tea. Kariyu winced as Jaken slurped noisily. Thick black velvet drapes shielded the room from the bright sunshine. Kariyu, as a vampire lord, could stand the touch of sunlight, but it weakened him. Flickering candles lit the room. The vampire smiled as Kagura's figure approached. Using her fan, she slid apart the shoji screens and stepped into the room, curtsying. Kariyu put the cup down.

"Ah, dear Kagura. Come over here, sit on my lap," he beckoned to her, smiling in twisted pleasure as she glided over to him gracefully. "Jaken, have you met her?" he enquired, sliding an arm around Kagura, forcing her to lay her head on his shoulder and smile sweetly up at him. "I have, my lord. She is the wind witch," Jaken set his teacup down. Kariyu's smirk disappeared in a flash. "Witch is too strong a word. Kagura serves me better than you do. Treat her with respect. Apologize," he ordered. "H-hai, my lord. K-kagura-sama, I am sorry. This Jaken will not repeat the offence," he stammered, hanging his head.

"I am thirsty, Kagura dearest," Kariyu breathed, his tongue delicately tickling the tip of her elfin ear. Obediently, she tilted her head to the left, baring her pale swan neck. As he lowered his head, he realized that Jaken still knelt there. "Get out!" he snapped sharply. Bowing, Jaken scrambled to his feet and scurried out.

Kariyu plunged his fangs into her flesh, sucking up the blood that seeped out steadily. As he drank, Kagura grew confused.

(Kagura's POV – thoughts manipulated by Kariyu, although she doesn't know)

Pain and pleasure has mixed, stemming from my neck. My master, Kariyu, is drinking my blood. He is whispering to me… he says I'm naughty and rebellious? I'm rebellious? Why am I rebellious? Am I defiant? Have I displeased my master? Why do I not please him in any way I can? Why do I do anything?

(Normal)

Kariyu smirked in triumph when intelligence entered Kagura's scarlet orbs and she made no effort to strike him. Instead, she relaxed more in his grip and let a full smile tilt her lips, winding her arms around his waist as she burrowed her face into her shoulder.

A notion entered Kariyu's mind, and he seized it eagerly. Kagura would not be bad as his mate now that he had tamed her. He could do far worse than the stunning elemental demoness who was currently snuggled up to him. She was beautiful, powerful, and she had surrendered all. The miko Kagome would be so shocked at their mating that she would be unable to act, giving him a momentary advantage that would give him time to kill her. If they were mates, Kagura would be bound to him for all time, unable to go against him forever. Yes, the idea certainly appealed to him.

Kariyu continued lapping at the spot he drank from on Kagura's neck., lust lighting his eyes when she let out a soft moan. Abruptly, she sat up snarling and kissed him brutally, their lips locked together even as Kariyu wrapped both arms around her and pushed her to the floor.

---

Jaken sighed as pleasure-filled screams echoed through the air, loud although he stood at the other end of the house, staring out at the pristine landscape beyond the clear glass of the window. It seemed that both his master and mistress were rather vocal, and had no qualms about it.

----------

Kagome's eyes opened as the morning sunlight hit her face. Kirara's tails flicked from side to side as the miko sat up, yawning widely. Kirara trotted over to Aun and sat by one large head before beginning her grooming session as two pairs of draconian eyes stared down at her.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm going for a bath, would you like to come with me, Rin-chan?" she asked sleepily. "Good morning, Kagome-chan! Rin would love to!" Rin chirped gaily. Kagome smiled, drawing a folded piece of paper out of her sleeve. A dab of sparkling black fire burned neat Japanese script onto the parchment. Kagome tossed the paper to Kirara, who caught it and transformed, flying away speedily.

"How will you bathe if you do not have what you require?" Sesshoumaru asked in a detached tone. "I have an agreement with the villages I protect. In return of my protection, they give me items like soap, towels and arrows, but not food. I have one spare outfit at every village – when Kirara comes back, she'll pass my dirty clothing to them and they'll clean it and keep it until I need it again," Kagome explained patiently, choosing to ignore his frosty tone.

"Come along, Rin. I asked for what you need, too," Kagome took Rin's hand. "The hot spring near here is poisonous," Sesshoumaru informed her. Kagome sighed. "I'm a miko, remember?" she reminded him. "A walking earth, air, water and demon purifier. And no peeking!" With that, she pulled Rin away with her, vanishing from sight once they walked down a steep embankment.

Moments later, Kirara streaked past overhead, a heavy cloth bag hanging from her mouth.

----------

Kagome and Rin approached the hot spring warily. Sure enough, a purple fog hung above the surface of the water, and the hot liquid itself was tainted. Kagome motioned for Rin to stay back and knelt down. When her hand passed through the mist, it gradually dissipated. At the touch of one long finger, the water turned crystal clear. "Wow! Sugoi, Kagome-chan!" Rin exclaimed.

They quickly stripped, hurrying to enjoy the warm water. The water was only waist deep for Kagome, so she sat on a rock, immersing herself up to her chin. Rin stood shoulder deep, laughing and splashing joyfully. Kirara soared over the treetops, and came down to land, passing the bag to her mistress with the flick of one huge paw. Shrinking into her small self in the blink of an eye, she tossed the hot spring a disdainful look and began to lick herself clean.

The hot water had a soothing effect on Kagome's tense muscles, and she sighed in bliss as the stress melted away like snow on a warm spring day. Rin frolicked about, frisky as a young colt. As Kagome watched her, she realized that there was a question she wanted to ask.

"Rin-chan, how are you still alive?" Kagome enquired bluntly, reaching for the bar of soap and lathering her hands with it. Rin looked up. "Sesshoumaru-sama says that my life is tied to his since I was revived by his Tenseiga. I will stay in this shape, unless I am deliberately killed, in which case I will die," she elaborated, wading over to get the soap. Kagome nodded in understanding, ducking under the surface to get the suds off. Coming up again, she tipped a liberal amount of shampoo into her palms, working it into her hair. They finished their bath in companionable silence.

Kagome got out of the spring first, Rin a breath behind. Kagome handed her a towel, rummaging around in the bag. She pulled out a twilight blue cotton kimono with silver sakura petals embroidered at the hems, cuffs and collar. A shining silver obi accompanied it. Passing both items to Rin, she dried and dressed herself efficiently, tossing her dirtied clothing into that same cloth bag which Kirara scooped up and took away.

Taking Rin's hand, Kagome led her back to her guardian.

----------

When they reached the clearing, both girls were stunned into silence. Sesshoumaru wielded his Toukijin against a foe that seemed to be a pool of shifting darkness. The battle was eerily silent, and the blade crackled with blue demonic energy. As they watched, a pair of eyelids cracked open, revealing two eyes the color of dried blood. Sesshoumaru unleashed a storm of energy daggers that disappeared as soon as they came into contact with the shadow.

Kagome pointed a finger at the darkness. A ball of fire laced with purity slammed into it, pushing it back a little but leaving no visible wound. The shadow, which Kagome christened a Darkor, surged forward as though it was furious. Sesshoumaru's poison whip lashed out, leaving a glowing green slash mark that rapidly disappeared.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and gestured. A half globe of light covered the Darkor. It threw itself against the barrier, thrashing wildly. "Gather stones and put them in a circle around it," Kagome ordered. Her forehead shone with gathering sweat, as Aun and Rin hurried to obey. When they were done, Kagome unraveled a thread from her sleeve, laying it atop the pebbles. As she circled three times, she murmured under her breath. A spelled light barrier sprung up over the smaller original one, and intensified in power until Kagome cut off the thread. She absorbed the inner barrier and paused to check her work. And as always, she was the first to speak.

"Okay, so what was that?" she asked, tying her raven tresses back with a blue ribbon. She looked a little tired. The trees and bushes rustled in the wind and she held out a palm. Blue lines of energy streamed towards her from every plant, collecting together in an orb. Kirara landed with a thump, having just returned. She seemed unperturbed at the Darkor, who squalled at her. Kagome pressed the energy ball into her chest, and became sprightly as ever.

"Kagome-chan, what did you do?" Rin tugged on her hand. "The plants gave me energy in return for protecting them from that," she indicated the Darkor. Rin smiled in wonder.

"So, what was that?" Kagome demanded again.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, forehead creased in thought. He had never seen the like, and he had traveled all over Japan and China already. The shadow creature was immune to his Toukijin and seemingly resistant to his poison. This was disturbing indeed. How could he fight a foe who was unaffected by his weapon? How could he fight an enemy he did not know?

"I do not know," he admitted. Kagome gasped. "Aren't you the well-traveled one? How can you not know?" she paced about in worry. He sent a cold golden glare at her. "Do not presume to answer back to this Sesshoumaru. I was unaware that I was the expert on shadow creatures here." Both gazes locked together, as they stared at each other hard. Another battle of wills was on. This time, they would be uninterrupted. Who would emerge the victor?

----------

A/N: That's all I can manage in half an hour's type time. Again, not beta-read. Gotta go now. Reviewer replies will be done when I can do them. Bye!


	11. Fatal Moment

Protector

Chapter 11 : Fatal Moment (Doesn't make sense, I know. I'm rushing here.)

Jaken awaited Kariyu and Kagura in another room, this one slightly dirty. A thin film of dust covered every surface in sight. His three-toed footprints were obvious. He knew who and what Kariyu was now. When Kariyu drank his blood, he transferred information to Jaken's mind in a rush. The info overload had caused him to faint.

Kariyu was no ordinary vampire. His increase in power had been drastic since he drank from the child of a goddess. He had been changed into a demi-god. The holy blood that coursed through his veins gave him defense against the sunlight that was usually fatal to his kind, and gave him the strength to ignore the pull of the trance-sleep that most vampires fell prey to when the sun rose. Delighted with the power at his fingertips, he returned to drink the child dry, tossing the drained husk aside like so much trash. The boy's mother, Amaratea, goddess of spring, had not come to seek revenge – perhaps she did not care. The leaderless vampires flocked to him, and thus, the fifth vampire lord was created.

The four original vampire lords were Aorfius, who resided in Greece, Shuriya, the female drinker who lived on a desolate mountain at the northernmost tip of Japan, Nurian, who terrorized the towns of Rome, and Flavius, who wandered about aimlessly. Of the four, only Aorfius and Nurian lived in style like nobles. Shuriya spent her time meditating, sitting alone in a cold cave at the zenith of her mountain. Flavius lived with a group of vampires who used to be gypsies, and rambled freely from place to place, leaving no trail. All had progressed to the point where blood was no longer required regularly as sustenance.

Kariyu had left Japan briefly, to meet Aorfius, Nurian and Flavius. All three were polite to him, but it was made perfectly clear that he was not welcome to hang about in their domains. He approached Shuriya, who let him past the barrier that sealed her cave. He learnt much in the visit, but she only offered information about her past.

Shuriya had been a mage-knight of Europe when she was captured and went through the Transformation, the agonizing process of becoming a vampire. Her Maker, an idiotic drunkard, had initiated it without consent. When she grew to her full strength, she turned on him and drank all his blood, boosting her powers greatly. After a few decades, she grew weary of the world, and withdrew into her present abode, seeking to atone for her sins, for drinking the lifeblood of other sentient creatures. She warned Kariyu not to disturb her anymore, after the visit ended. She shooed him past the barrier like a child, and ignored him when he called for her to let him in again.

Jaken was startled out of his reverie when Kariyu glided into the room, Kagura on his arm. Halting in his tracks, Kariyu sneezed softly, covering his nose and mouth with a hand. The toad took the opportunity to examine his new master more closely.

Dark hair the color of shadows fell to his waist in a tumble of slight curls, rippling behind him when he walked. He looked to be about twenty-five years old, with pale skin, a reminder of his race and their natural aversion to sunlight. Piercing cerulean eyes were his most outstanding feature, a glint of blue in the whiteness of his face. His snowy skin and midnight hair contrasted sharply, an incongruous mix. He was dressed in a sapphire blue shirt, billowing loosely around his figure. Wide pants were made of dragon hide, tough and virtually unbreakable. A black leather jacket was slung over his shoulder – the interior of the mansion was too warm to put it on. Black boots completed his outfit. He was tall, towering over Kagura by more than a head. The wind sorceress looked practically petite standing beside him. Half-concealed by the collar of his short, a silver bite scar marked his neck – Kagura's mating mark. On his inner forearm, the tattoo of a gleaming white fang dripping thick blood lay stark against his skin. He had a sensual mouth, and his teeth were even and pearly. His incisors were a little longer than usual, tapering to a sharp point at the end.

Kagura twirled her fan lightly. A small whirlwind measuring up to her knees rose up, sucking away the dust there. She sent it spinning around the room, leaving cleanliness in its wake before rushing out of the window and dissipating. With a smile, she turned to Kariyu, who squeezed her hand. Both sat down at the low table, facing Jaken.

"What movements do you plan to take against the miko, my lord?" Jaken asked politely. "I sent a shadow creature to kill them all, but the miko trapped it, I believe," Kariyu sighed. "Kill them all, my lord?" Jaken's heart banged against his ribcage. Lord Sesshoumaru could not be harmed, must not be harmed! Kagura raised her eyes slowly, giving him a death stare. Fire crackled in her crimson orbs.

"Do not presume to question your betters," she said. The air around her seemed to gain a chilly feel. By leaving out his name while giving an order, Kagura had practically slapped him in the face, reminding him of just how insignificant. Kariyu smirked. Kagura's leaping to his defence was intriguing, and it pleased him very much. "Yes, my lady. I apologize," Jaken said meekly, shuddering a little.

"I believe our enemies should learn of our blessed union soon," Kariyu purred, inspecting his fingernails. Each one was painted black. "Don't you think so, Kagura?" he asked leisurely, tossing a glance in her direction. "Of course, my lord," she inclined her head. The turquoise beads at her ears winked briefly. Kariyu frowned. It was an unnecessary reminder of her past. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a small box and handed it to her, snapping it open. A pair of earrings lay within, small stylized whirlwinds dangling from a long silver wire. She put them on immediately. The carved whirlwinds of obsidian just brushed her collarbone. She smiled in thanks, touching his hand lightly.

---------- (A week later)

It was a late afternoon, and sunlight the hue of warm honey poured through the interlocking tree branches to pool on the ground. The forest animals were quiet, almost as though out of respect. Sesshoumaru led the group, pacing along majestically with slow measured steps. Aun followed, his footsteps loud. The saddle he wore creaked as Rin shifted on his back, still dozing. Kagome walked behind the double-headed dragon silently, eyes darting from side to side. Kirara trotted at her feet. This whole week, Kagome had been on edge, waiting for Kariyu's next ambush. She had also been grumpy after losing the battle of wills with Sesshoumaru. A sneezing fit had suddenly come over her, and it was impossible to keep her eyes open while sneezing. It was just something that couldn't be done. And thus, she had lost by default. It chafed, but there was nothing she could do.

At the very edge of her miko senses, she felt Kagura and another dark aura approaching very quickly. Her heart twisted painfully at the thought of her friend under Kariyu's thumb. "They are coming," she warned tersely. Aun snarled and plunged into the bushes, searching for a place to hide Rin. Kirara transformed and ran after the dragon at her mistress' signal. Sesshoumaru and Kagome traded looks. There was a good place to fight nearby – a rocky plain beside a waterfall. She surged into the lead, running noiselessly, and the pair passed as fleeting shadows.

----------

Kagura and Kariyu plummeted out of the sky, a pure white feather clenched in Kagura's fingers. Reaching up, she fixed it into her inky tresses firmly. Drawing her fan out, she flicked it open and regarded them warily.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru stood side by side. Kagome held an arrow to her bowstring loosely, and Sesshoumaru's hand was wrapped around Toukijin's hilt.

"I come today as a bearer of good news," Kariyu announced. Grinning widely, he nudged aside the collar of his shirt, revealing a silvery scar. Kagura pushed her kimono neckline farther along her shoulder. An identical mark rested there, a silent testament to the bond they shared. Kagome gasped. Kariyu bared his fangs in triumph.

A bolt of power leaped from his palm, gleaming blood red. Kagome froze in place as it arced nearer and nearer. Then she was flying through the air, an arm wrapped around her waist. She glanced up into chilly golden eyes. Silver hair floated around her in a cloud.

A barrage of wind blades came their way and bounced off a transparent shield that Kagome produced quickly. When Sesshoumaru set her down, she threw him a grateful look. He nodded imperceptibly, and the battle began for real.

Kagome's lips curled in a silent snarl, eyes like chips of stone. Kariyu bowed mockingly. A pair of carved wooden handles appeared in his hands. Black whips crackling with energy flowed from the dark wood. Kagome nocked another arrow to her bowstring and loosed – she had dropped the first arrow in dodging Kariyu's energy blast. She tossed the weapon and her quiver of arrows aside. Kariyu twitched a hand. The left whip swept around the arrow shaft, encircling it in an instant. The arrow stopped in mid-flight and fell, sheared in half.

A pair of twin swords materialized in Kagome's hands. Fire roared along the length of the blade in her left hand, turning the metal white hot. Ice covered the surface of the sword in her right hand, chilling the air around it. Clear and crystalline, it was as hard as the steel it sheathed. Kagome dropped into the guard position and waited.

Kariyu's whips snaked towards her, covering the distance between the two fighters easily. One moved to wrap around the ice sword while the other treacherously headed for her ankle. Kagome crouched and launched herself as the whip tightened on his right blade. The whip slackened, and she dove at him, fiery weapon ready to pierce through him. Ice was beginning to coat the portion of whip in contact with the sword. With a sneer, Kariyu dodged, yanking the whips back. He retracted the long strips of rawhide and tucked them into his jacket. A black barrier formed around him. Kagome vanished her swords. A glittering pink shield rose up around her.

----------

Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin in a swift, practiced movement. The fang of Goshinki, the detachment of Naraku which had been slain a century ago by Inuyasha, slid out easily. Kagura faced him.

With a twirl of her new fan, tornadoes began to form, drawing stones and soil in. Sesshoumaru eyed the fan closely. She had changed fans again. The fan she currently wielded had elegantly pierced metal ribs that were as sharp as the edge of his own Toukijin. Heavy cherry red silk covered the carved metal frame. A blood red silk tassel hung from the end. Sesshoumaru dodged when the whirlwinds converged on him. He held Toukijin out before him, the pointed end facing Kagura. Electric blue daggers of energy flew at her. A sweep of her fan produced a dozen of her signature attack – the wind blades. The two crashed together and dissolved. Sesshoumaru was on the heels of his attack. Metal clanged against metal as Toukjin was brought crashing down onto the fan that seemed too delicate to withstand the onslaught.

Ducking away from Sesshoumaru, Kagura pulled out her old fan from a pocket in her kimono, wielding it in her left hand. "Do you like my new weapon, Sesshoumaru? It's a shukusen, something I developed specially to deal with Toukijin. Don't you feel honored?" she mocked, darting in another direction.

----------

Kariyu seized his chance when Sesshoumaru turned his back to him. A bolt of lightning edged in red lanced from his hands, aiming at the taiyoukai. Kagome made a split second decision based purely on instinct. She pushed her own protective bubble towards Sesshoumaru. It enveloped him just as the lightning hit, producing a shower of sparks. Sharp slivers of ice raced toward her as Kagome's eyes widened. Kariyu laughed, revealing pointed teeth. Building a barrier strong enough to repel the ice took precious seconds she didn't have. Her mouth opened to voice a scream as they soared nearer and nearer.

When Kagome's original barrier passed through Sesshoumaru, the stump of his severed left arm tingled. A warm sensation poured through him, not unpleasant, but refreshingly new. He turned just in time to see the ice shards flying at the miko who had sacrificed her own barrier to save his life.

A/N: This is about 500 words longer than usual. Yay. Sorry I made you guys wait so long. Again, I cannot do reviewer responses. /sigh/ I'm not happy about that either… if you would like me to reply, leave your email address and I'll get back to you! Promise. But it might be a little slow.

Since I cannot do anything else, I decided to offer you guys IY song downloads. I have the following songs, and if you would like them, drop me an email at setsunakutte.yume or review. Tell me which songs you want. And of course, leave your own email address. The songs I have are as follows –

Opening Themes

Change the World – V6

I Am – Hitomi Yaida

Grip! – Every Little Thing

Owari nai Yume (Endless Dream) – Aikawa Nanase

One Day, One Dream – Tackey & Tsubasa

Come – Namie Amuro

Angelus – Shimatani Hitomi

Ending Themes

My Will – Dream

Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) – Do As Infinity

Every Heart – BoA

Dearest – Ayumi Hamasaki

Shinjitsu no Uta (Song of Truth) – Do As Infinity

Itazura na KISS (Mischievious Kiss) – Day After Tomorrow

Brand New World – V6

Movie Themes and Insert Songs

No More Words – Ayumi Hamasaki

Ai no Uta (Song of Love) – Every Little Thing

Yura Yura – Every Little Thing

Rakuen (Paradise) – Do As Infinity

Sotsugyou : Sayounara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewell is for Tomorrow) – Tackey & Tsubasa

Character Single Songs

Aoki Yasei wo Daite (Embrace the Untamed Wilderness) – Kappei Yamaguchi as Inuyasha and Satsuki Yukino as Kagome

Kaze no Naka e (In The Wind) – Kouji Tsujitani as Miroku, Houko Kuwashima as Sango, and Kumiko Watanabe as Shippou

Gou – Ken Narita as Sesshoumaru, Mamiko Noto as Rin, and Yuuichi Nagashima as Jaken

Character Themes

Kagome and Inuyasha's Theme

Kagome's Theme : Toki wo Koeru Omoi

I have most of the lyrics as well. Just ask.

Okay, I gotta go now!

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. Don't forget to review! (:


	12. Healing Hurts

Protector

:_blah: _is the thoughts of Sesshoumaru's blood beast.

:blah: is Sesshoumaru's thoughts when communicating (well, sort of) with said blood beast.

Chapter 12: Healing Hurts

Kagome screamed in agony as the ice shards pierced her body, throwing her backwards. White-hot pain pulsed through her, in time with her heartbeat. A fresh tide of sensation poured over her as she sensed the impending darkness looming over her. With an inward sigh of relief, she welcomed it, sinking gratefully into the embrace of numb unconsciousness, as the world faded.

Sesshoumaru's ears rang from the miko's agonized cry, and saw her collapse in a boneless heap. Blood pooled around her, leaking freely from her many wounds. Even her long midnight hair was soaked in it. Her sightless brown eyes were blank, as her eyelids slowly slid shut.

His blood beast surged to life, roaring in fury. Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered between crimson and chilly gold. He barely felt the pain in his left side as his arm grew back. It should have been a painful process. He should have been screaming and writhing. But he didn't feel it. Finally, his orbs settled on fiery red. A menacing growl ripped itself from his throat as his nose and mouth elongated into a snout. His pristine hair and furry pelt whipped about in the fierce wind of youki around him. Arms and legs lengthened and sprouted thick white fur, the pelt on his shoulder became his tail. Before long, a humongous white dog stood over Kagome's prone body, snarling in rage.

Kagura edged towards Kariyu, eyes fixed upon the furious animal that was Sesshoumaru in his full youkai glory. His claws were longer than her forearm. Poisonous saliva dripped from his bared fangs, ears laid back, flat to his skull. The saliva fell to the ground, melting the rocks at his feet. By now, his left arm had been regenerated completely.

"Let's go," Kariyu muttered. Kagura nodded. In a flash, they were being borne away on the wind's back. "Until we meet again," the vampire called back over his shoulder, grinning at the sight of the miko lying half dead.

_:Kill! Kill them both:_

:No, you cannot pursue. The miko is hurt. She is dying.:

The blood beast roared again in ear-splitting fury, wanting to chase and dispose of the one who had injured the girl lying at his feet. Sesshoumaru fought the beast back patiently, pushing it away and locking it into a tiny corner of his mind. Turbulent, pitiless ruby eyes calmed to an even gold hue. In a flurry of movement, he rapidly shrank back into his human form.

The scent of Kagome's blood was so strong that he could barely smell anything else. It smelt sort of sweet, with a hint of spiciness and the overall metallic tang. Sesshoumaru experienced a twinge of guilt. She had sacrificed her own protection to keep him safe, otherwise he would be the one lying on the rocks and she the one kneeling over him. He owed her his life. He could have been plunged into Hell by Kariyu's energy bolt if she hadn't saved him.

Sighing, he nicked a vein in his right forearm, then held it to Kagome's pale lips, supporting her with his left arm. Detachedly, he noticed that the newly constructed arm was perfect, down to the jagged maroon slashes on his wrist. He forced his own blood down her throat. After swallowing the thick plasma, Kagome relaxed further, going as limp as an overcooked vegetable. He rose to his feet, cradling her in his arms. The blood soaked into her clothing stained his own white silk, dripping stickily onto his fingers.

Light surrounded and enfolded the two. A bright orb streaked across the sky. Aun, seeing his master pass overhead, grunted to Kirara. Flames sprouted around her paws and tails, and she surged after her mistress. Her keen nose picked up the scent of Kagome's blood, and it was much too strong, showing copious blood loss. Little patches of cloud grew beneath Aun's taloned feet, and he ponderously took to the sky, a sleeping Rin clinging tightly to his neck. They both tried their best, but were unable to catch up.

----------

The light orb landed in a paved courtyard. The brilliance rapidly faded away, leaving Sesshoumaru and Kagome in its place. A tall youkai came running up.

"My lord, what has happened?" he cried, taking in the unconscious miko in Sesshoumaru's arms. "Shiruka. Go and find Kiria, and bring her to the suite of rooms beside my own quickly. You will be the miko's personal bodyguard for the duration of her stay," Sesshoumaru ordered, striding towards the castle quickly. "Immediately, my lord," Shiruka saluted and sprinted away, bootheels clicking on the cobblestones.

Sesshoumaru set Kagome on the soft feather bed gently, ignoring the blood which ruined the silk sheets. There was a knock at the door, so soft as to be barely audible to the human ear. "Enter," he said calmly. A petite female youkai stepped in, followed by Shiruka. She curtsied to Sesshoumaru, then moved to Kagome. Upon seeing the severe injuries that marked Kagome's body, she gasped in horror.

---------- (3 days later)

Kagome stirred, eyes opening. Her body was one huge ache, and her head was splitting. She sat up weakly, with slow, listless movements. Upon spotting the demon who stood at the foot of her bed and the twin blades he wielded, she screamed. Very loudly.

Sesshoumaru sighed when Kagome's shrill shriek echoed down the hallway and into his study, making his ears ring. He held up one hand to stem the words of the head chef, who wanted to file a complaint against a scullery maid who was constantly slacking off. "I will summon you again at a later date, Kakimoto. Until then, put the maid on unpaid leave. This meeting is finished," he said, rising to his feet. "Yes, my lord," Kakimoto bowed and opened the door for the taiyoukai.

The demon lord strode down the hallway, and stopped before an ornate door. Silently, he pushed it open.

"Who the hell are you?" Kagome flung at the surprised and stammering youkai. "Mikos shouldn't curse," Sesshoumaru remarked mildly from the doorway. "Perhaps I spent too much time with uncouth people," she suggested sweetly, a hint of steel in her words. "Like Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru could've sworn those careless words slipped out without him actually noticing. Kagome stiffened. "That was underhanded," she accused flatly. "So it was," he agreed amiably. "Jerk," she snarled. "Perhaps to you," he said, unperturbed. "Fine! Whatever!" Kagome fell back, glaring at him.

Poor Shiruka stood like a statue, shocked to see the two exchanging barbs so casually. "Anyway, this is Shiruka, your personal bodyguard for as long as you are here. Try not to purify him," Sesshoumaru gestured towards him. "Why do I need a guard?" she frowned. "You are an injured miko who is currently unable to fight. Everyone in this castle is youkai except for you and Rin," the taiyoukai elaborated, evidently a little irritated that she hadn't figured it out herself. "Oh…" she murmured, expression clearing.

"Kiria, the castle physician, will come to check on you soon. I'm sure you have lots to ask, so I will return after her visit," Sesshoumaru said, shutting the door with a click. He walked away, sniffing for Kiria's scent. The healer would appreciate the knowledge that her patient had awoken.

---------

Kagome looked about the room, admiring the lovely furniture and room design. The ceiling was painted midnight blue. Silver stars glittered overhead, a perfect portrait of the night sky. In direct contrast, the walls were a pale blue hue, almost white. A large wardrobe was in one corner, made of highly polished mahogany, and trimmed in silver. An oval mirror hung on the wall above a large dressing table. One wall was made of glass, a giant window that offered a marvelous view. Silver velvet curtains were tied back by a strip of cerulean cloth. A writing desk and chair stood by the window. The canopy bed was made of dark wood and trimmed in shiny metal. The silk bed sheets were twilight blue. Three pillows were scattered about the bed, one supporting Kagome's head. The floor was parquet, dark tiny planks of wood.

Kagome turned her gaze to the youkai standing nearby uncertainly. He was tall, with long, flowing unbound silver and black tresses. The strange thing about his hair was that it was liberally highlighted with black. Some of the dark streaks only began after a length of silver, a fascinating pattern. He was lean, with a dancer's build rather than a wrestler's. His weapons, the two rapiers, were in their sheaths, one on each side. His ears tapered to a delicate point, as did his canine teeth. A snowflake insignia rested on his forehead, shimmering in cool iridescence. Striking blue eyes focused on her, above a slender nose. Three jagged azure stripes marked each cheek and wrist. His nails were needle sharp. He wore silver and blue – a silver haori over a powder blue undershirt and navy blue hakamas. Boots shod his feet, stopping above his ankle.

"So, you're Shiruka-san, right? What's your full name?" Kagome asked curiously, shattering the uneasy silence. "Yes. I am Oohara Shiruka, at your service, my lady," he replied cautiously, bowing. "Oh, drop the 'my lady' thing. I'm no noble, call me Kagome. I'm Higurashi Kagome and I'm a miko. Now tell me, what type of demon are you?" she sat up and leaned forward, eyes alight. "I am a snow tiger youkai, m- no, Kagome," he answered, smiling. "Is that so? I've never seen anyone like you before…" she scrutinized him closely. "I come from the far north. My family and I are the only snow tiger youkai in these parts of Japan. Most of us are not inclined to move to a warm place," Shiruka explained. "Aa… so it's like that…" Kagome crinkled her brow in thought.

There was a knock at the door, and Kagome swiveled her head to look at it. "Enter," she called. A small youkai came bustling in, a basket of cloth bandages and medicine on her arm. She curtsied to Kagome, smiling widely.

"Who are you?" Kagome queried. "I am Kiria, the castle healer, my lady," she replied, setting out pots of sweet-smelling ointment on the bedside table. At Kiria's gesture, Shiruka bowed and moved to guard the door outside in the hallway.

Kagome examined Kiria minutely with her eyes, fascinated by her coloring. Fawn-hued hair was kept in a boyish bob, and she had kind black eyes, dark as a raven's feather. Her skin had a light covering of fur, slightly thicker than a human's. She was small, and moved a little jerkily, in short bursts. Her small button nose and pointed ears twitched occasionally. She wore a light brown dress, a few shades darker than her hair. Her skirts rustled as she moved about.

"Excuse me for asking, Kiria-san, but what type of youkai are you?" Kagome asked, openly ogling the healer. "I'm a hamster youkai, my lady," Kiria smiled, looking up. "Please, call me Kagome," the miko sighed, privately wondering why everyone in the castle was so damned polite. Kiria hesitated. "Sesshoumaru-sama might not be pleased," she said tentatively. "Screw Sesshoumaru. Tell him to come look for me if he has a problem," Kagome grinned, eliciting an answering smile from Kiria.

---------

A short while later, Kagome's wounds were smeared with a fresh layer of ointment and neatly rebandaged. Kiria was excellent at her work, being gentle by nature. Kagome had only felt a few random twinges of pain, and those had been quickly soothed.

"Did you know that you are the first hamster youkai I have ever met?" Kagome yawned, cracking her knuckles absentmindedly. "I'm not surprised. We hamster youkai do not like to fight. We are peaceful by nature. If I am not mistaken, you exterminate youkai when they attack you. Hamster youkai do not attack unless greatly provoked," Kiria explained. Kagome nodded thoughtfully.

There was a tap at the door, and Sesshoumaru walked in, Shiruka following behind him quietly. He nodded to Kiria, who curtsied respectfully, then took herself out, dragging Shiruka along by one ear. Muffled protests from the snow tiger demon were barely audible as Kiria closed the door.

"Okay, so why am I here?" Kagome wasted no time on pleasantries. "If I did not bring you here, you would have died," Sesshoumaru told her bluntly, sinking into a cushioned chair gracefully. Kagome moaned softly. "You should have let me die," she whispered. Sesshoumaru blinked a few times. Had she really said htat?

"Are you coherent, miko?" he queried, frowning suspiciously. "Yes, I am, and I don't appreciate the insinuation that I'm delirious," Kagome shot him The Look. If looks could kill, he'd have been struck dead on the spot.

"Then why do you want to die?" he asked, wondering whether her gray matter had been jumbled up in the fall.

----------

A/N: Whee! Fast update. Because I was really looking forward to writing a castle scene. Haha! Anyway… for those who requested music transfers. Please remember this – all songs that I send to you are only samples of the official CDs for Inuyasha. I bought one and saved it on my computer. Please delete all files I send after 24 hours. If you choose not to do so, it has nothing to do with me. Okay? Good.

Also, I missed out one song – Four Seasons by Namie Amuro, from Movie three… 'Tenka Hadou no Ken' or something like that. Oops.

And, I wanted to ask those of you who are in international schools or live in America. When are your holidays and exam periods? Please tell me… I'm curious. Thanks!

Remember to review!

Kyasarinyume07 signing off as usual, yawning a bit.


	13. Castle of the Crescent Moon

Protector

Recap:

"Then why do you want to die?" he asked, wondering whether her gray matter had been jumbled up in the fall.

Chapter 13: Castle of the Crescent Moon

Kagome looked startled, glancing at him warily. "It's not that I actively want to die… I'm not going to throw myself off a cliff or commit seppuku or do something weird like that. I'm just… kind of… tired…" she answered slowly, brows creased. "How can you be weary after only one century? I know of demons who have survived more than twenty and are still in the prime of their lives!" Sesshoumaru's golden, cat-like eyes flashed in irrational anger. "Humans are not meant to live forever. I never wanted to be immortal. I never wanted to become the living embodiment of the Shikon no Tama," she sighed wistfully, eyes misty in memory. "You are a foolish girl. Do you know how many humans want to live forever?" the taiyoukai sniffed disdainfully.

"Do you know what the Shikon no Tama has done to my life? Do you know exactly why Inuyasha left me? Do you know why I still wander alone after so long? Do you?" Kagome snarled in frustration. Sesshoumaru remained silent. What could he say, anyway? If he said yes, he would be lying. Not acceptable in a lord. If he said no, she'd go off in another tirade and his ears would be half singed off. If he said he didn't care in the least, she would purify his butt to within an inch of his life. What kind of choice was **that**?

His eyebrow twitched spasmodically and he looked away, refusing to meet her piercing cocoa eyes. "I'll tell you why." She took a deep breath as Sesshoumaru flinched slightly, undetectable to anyone.

He was flabbergasted when the miko extended a small hand to him. "Think dirty thoughts and touch me," she instructed flatly, eyes like chips of stone. "This Sesshoumaru does not think 'dirty thoughts' about anyone, least of all a human girl," he pointed his nose into the air arrogantly, eyes half-shut. "Do as I say. Now." She demanded. Her hair flared around her in a dark halo. "I will oblige you this once, girl," he allowed grudgingly. She could be excused for ordering Sesshoumaru himself around this time, since she had just been injured because of him… Stretching out his hand, he brushed her fingertips while (cough cough) imitating Miroku in his mind.

A soundless explosion of violet and white light flashed, sending Sesshoumaru flying across the room, his arm scorched badly. Kagome sighed, getting to her feet gingerly. Her wounds stretched uncomfortably tight, but didn't reopen. She moved over to the dazed taiyoukai, who was slumped against the wall.

Dropping to her knees, she lifted his injured arm into her lap, sighing when he flinched at her touch. She didn't know whether it was out of pain or whether it was his instinctual response after she'd almost blasted him to kingdom come, but it somehow felt wrong to her. An aura of soothing green radiance surrounded her fingers, and she gently stroked the burns along his forearm.

"Why did you injure me?" Sesshoumaru growled. Pink tinted his cheeks lightly; a flush of deep anger. It showed just how furious he was. His face was usually even beige and nothing more than something extremely serious could make him flush or become pale. "I didn't mean to. This always happens whenever someone touches me while… erm…" Kagome sighed, cut off by Sesshoumaru's rigid nod. "How severe are the wounds inflicted?" he asked, calming as Kagome painstakingly healed his burns. "It's hard to say, really. I don't exactly know. But it can – and has- killed before. Humans and youkai, both races are affected," she replied, biting her lip. "Killed?" Sesshoumaru prodded farther patiently.

"A long time ago, a group of bandits attacked me. I didn't want to shoot them, they were only human. I hadn't gotten the knack of making barriers yet. When the leader tried to grab me, he died instantly. I think his heart burst. Two more tried and died. Following that, the remaining men escaped," she told him, eyes darkening. She drew her hands away from him, and stumbled back to the rumpled bed. Unblemished skin covered his arm, injuries vanished.

A pillow supported Kagome's back comfortably as she leaned on it. "Okay, we went way off subject just now. So why'd you bring me here?" she queried, hugging another pillow tightly. Her raven hair pooled around her, gleaming in inky black curls. "To have Kiria treat your wounds, of course," he answered, standing up. "You didn't have to, you know. A village with a healing miko would have sufficed. If you managed to keep me alive for just one day, my own power would have kicked in. Why bring me all the way here?" she pressed him for answers, seeking a satisfactory one. Sesshoumaru paused, mulling over her question seriously. "You were willing to sacrifice your life to save mine… courtesy bids that I give you the same treatment as I would wish to be given. Kiria is an extremely skilled healer. I could not trust your life to some random village girl who has a little knowledge about herbs," he replied. Kagome's lips curved in a small smile. "I always pegged you as a guy of few words, Sesshoumaru. That was the closest to a speech as I've ever heard," she finger-combed her hair, laughing silently. He considered it beneath his dignity to reply to the jibe, and remained silent.

"Where's Kirara?" Kagome asked, after a short period of comfortable silence. Sesshoumaru had moved to sit in the chair before the dressing table. When she pointed to a hairbrush, he tossed it to her and she deftly caught it, nodding in thanks. "Rin enjoys the company of the fire-cat," he told her in a monotone.

Kagome's eyes teared as her mouth in a silent yawn. "You will sleep now," Sesshoumaru ordered, rising to leave. "Aa. Thank you for bringing me here," she murmured, settling down. "No, it is I who should thank you for saving my life, he paused briefly at the doorway, then was gone a moment later. 'Did the Ice Prince just say thank you to me?' she wondered hazily. The last thing she saw before slipping into the throes of sleep was Shiruka stepping into the room.

---------- (Next morning)

Kagome's eyes opened. Shiruka stood nearby, alert to any suspicious movement. "Good morning, Shiruka-san," she greeted, rubbing her eyes with a fist. "Ah. Good morning, kagome-san. It is a lovely day, is it not?" he turned to glance at her. "So it is," she replied, sitting up.

Sunlight poured through the gigantic window, pooling on the honey-colored floor. A playful breeze, carrying a hint of the winter chill, rustled the long hair of both miko and guard. Birds which hadn't left to migrate to warmer places for the winter chirped outside happily. As it was already late autumn, the leaves on the trees were few. Dried, crunchy leaves carpeted the ground, as several rake-wielding demons swept the gardens. A marble fountain full of fish decorated the corner of the large courtyard.

"I need a bath," Kagome realized as she yawned again. Shiruka bowed. "Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered that you use his personal hot spring. Clothing has been tailored for you, and is hanging in the wardrobe," he gestured at it. "Oh, I see," she got up and walked towards it. A pair of heeled black slippers rested beside the dressing table. She thrust her feet into them. Taking a random kimono from the array, she also snatched up a pair of fluffy white towels, a hairbrush, and a long silver ribbon. Shiruka held the door open as she made her way out regally.

Shiruka showed her into a room with a large hot spring. Steam billowed from the hot water as Kagome exclaimed in delight and pleasure. "Please take your time," Shiruka said and retreated, shutting the door silently.

A rocky warm pool occupied most of the room. Water cascaded over the rocks at the highest point, the corner that fitted the walls neatly. The spring was quite deep, no doubt reaching Kagome's shoulders. A few pink water lilies were clustered together at the side, drifting on the surface aimlessly. Droplets of liquid dotted the rosy flower petals, green waxy leaves and stems. Thin roots hung down limply, moving this way and that sluggishly. No algae encrusted the rocks – maidservants probably came in to clean up everyday. The stones were polished to a smooth and shining finish, and gleamed with moisture. The floor was cool white marble veined with grey, the walls were blue. Fish peeked out behind strands of waving kelp and seaweed. Anemones and starfish rested on the lower pat of the wall, hued sandy brown to represent the seabed. Crabs scuttled along the bottom, claws raised before them. A flame-haired slender maiden with a fish tail replacing legs clung to the back of a sleek bottlenose dolphin. A group of semi-transparent girl children swam together near the surface, frolicking about in joy – the lesser elementals of water, the undines. A few older girls watched over them – the larger and more powerful naiads. A school of silvery fish swam by, salmon heading to their birthplaces to lay eggs and die. (A/N: depressing isn't it.)

Kagome hurriedly stripped, eager to immerse herself in the spring.

----------

A/N: And that's where I'll stop for today. Updated faster than I thought.

Now, because of the new feature, I will be responding only to signed-in reviewers unless I have to answer a question. And I will be replying via email, like how you receive a review.

People who asked for music transfers but didn't receive them, please give me your email address again. Add spaces please. I couldn't see them last time.

Thanks to everyone who told me when you have holidays.

Also, who was the one who added Protector to the new C2 created by youkai99angel? Please tell me. I want to thank you in person.

That's all. Have a good week.

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. (My nose hurts.)


	14. Castle of the Crescent Moon Pt 2

Protector

Chapter 14: Castle of the Crescent Moon Part Two

Kagome finished her bath and put on her clothes before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Shiruka stared at her, and his jaw dropped.

Arrayed in a simple black kimono, her hair fell around her in a thick, silky curtain, gleaming with moisture. A spray of cherry blossoms marked the bottom part of her ankle-length dress. Silver flowers of varying sizes embroidered the hems and cuffs of the kimono. Under the main black-hued outer dress were two inner ones, respectively dark blue and silver. A beautifully stylized Shikon no Tama which emitted pure rays of violet light was stitched onto her lower sleeves. Shiruka's sharp nose could pick up Kagome's scent, of cool autumn rain and the faintest tinge of lavender. Her skin was clear and unblemished but for the closing wounds, lightly kissed by the sun. Cocoa eyes shining with warmth and friendliness were disconcertingly sharp.

"Uh, I took off my bandages…" Kagome interrupted his reverie, startling him. "Oh… oh. You can just leave them in there. The servants will clear them," Shiruka told her, slightly off balance. She nodded and left the damp towels stacked in a pile, neatly folded, just inside the room.

"You look very pretty in the kimono. I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama will be pleased when he introduces you to court. He appreciates beauty," Shiruka complimented her as she began walking. "Thank you, but I- wait a minute. Did you say 'court'?" she halted in her tracks, surprised. "Of course I did. You are to be introduced to the court tomorrow evening," her bodyguard informed her in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Is that so." It was a statement, not a question. "In that case, will you take me to see Sesshoumaru please? I have a few things to say to him."

----------

Shiruka led the way down the corridor, and stopped in front of a demon who had wings folded up on his back. "Ikaru. Kagome-sama would like to see Sesshoumaru-sama," Shiruka said politely, inclining his head. The youkai turned his head to focus on Kagome, who smiled tentatively. After a moment, he nodded.

"I am Ikaru. Pleased to meet you," he rumbled, his voice a deep baritone. Kagome looked him over closely, being interested in youkai types.

Golden-brown feathers trailed down to the ground, although his wings were tucked up on his back. Glossy and well cared for, Kagome had no doubt that they were fully functional and able to support him in flight. His hair, trimmed short and held back in a short ponytail much like Miroku's, was the color of honey in a jar held in a ray of sunshine, with a tinge of black at the ends. He carried a spear in his right hand, and handled it with practiced ease.

"Let me guess. Golden eagle… right?" Kagome tapped her finger on her lower lip thoughtfully. "You are correct, my lady," Ikaru assured her as he stepped over to the ornately carved door and rapped his knuckles on it smartly.

"Enter," Sesshoumaru said calmly, putting his brush down. He already knew who was outside his study, and judging from the annoyed scent that wove its way through the pleasant rain and flower smell, Kagome was not pleased.

The reigning lord of the western lands blinked once at the miko stalking towards him with an air of menace about her petite form, as Shiruka remained outside. She looked perfectly acceptable in one of the kimonos he had provided for her use during the duration of her stay, stunning even, now that she was cleaned up properly. However, she would have appeared a great deal more entrancing had she removed the scowl currently gracing her face. "Can I help you?" he elected to lace his voice with cool courtesy, twining his fingers together.

"Hell yes, you can. Why the heck do I have to be introduced to your court? I'm not noble!" Kagome slammed her clenched fists onto his desk. A hairline crack appeared in the wood varnish.

"This is standard court protocol. Any personal guest of mine has to be formally introduced. It should have been the day after you arrived, but I had it delayed due to your… condition," he replied coolly. "And exactly how am I to know what to do?" Kagome glared at him, as though it was his fault that she had to go through this. Which, in a strange, convoluted way, was true.

"Rin may assist you. The demon looking after her until three thirty, Yukiko, is well versed in court etiquette. They will help you if you but ask," he picked up a document and scanned it, eyes taking in the graceful script that flowed across the parchment. He took a stamp from a drawer, and imprinted the seal of a crescent moon shimmering in rainbow colors and scintillating with light – the royal seal of the Western Lands.

"Fine," she sighed, exhaling. "But you owe me for this!" she added in quickly.

"When you are introduced, I would advise you not to be shocked or offended if someone proposes mating to you," he said. The brush in his right hand produced upright hiragana and kanji characters as it swept across the paper quickly.

"Wh… WHAT!" Kagome screamed as Sesshoumaru winced. Perhaps he should consider investing in a good pair of earplugs. Outside, the pair of guards standing side-by-side winced in unison. She had a good pair of lungs on her.

"It is demon tradition. We try to mate with those who are strong, so that they cannot turn against us in the future," he recited calmly, although his pointed ears twitched.

"I assume that I am still going to have a choice whether or not to marry," Kagome breathed in and out, trying to slow her heartbeat down and bring her blood pressure back from its all time high. "Actually, I would advise you to just accept one," Sesshoumaru braced himself for the next shriek. "Why should I?" Kagome frowned.

Sesshoumaru swallowed hard. "Because if you do not, the court will end up picking a mate for you. By right of arms. They'll hold a competition, and the winner gets you," he rattled off quickly.

Kagome blinked once. Twice. Then what Sesshoumaru had just said sank in.

She breathed in deeply. "Don't kid with me." She said flatly, hoping against hope that he was just jesting. Although that would be a sight to see – Sesshoumaru cracking a joke. Pigs were more likely to fly before that would happen.

"I am not a baby goat," Sesshoumaru gave her a puzzled look. Kagome sighed. "I have to think about this… and I believe that leaving is sounding better and better every minute," she murmured, opening the door and waving goodbye to him casually.

The delicate fragrance of autumn rain and lavender wafted through the room as Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply, unconsciously enjoying the fresh scent.

----------

Kagome slipped outside, a frown creasing her brows. "C'mon, Shiruka. Bye, Ikaru," she said absent-mindedly, lost in thought. Shiruka nodded to Ikaru, who raised a hand in farewell before returning to his former position – stiffly upright and staring into the emptiness before him.

---------

"Are you disturbed about the mating thing?" Shiruka asked softly as they walked down the hallway. The heels of Kagome's slippers made soft thonking sounds on the polished wood floor.

"Yeah, I am." Kagome sighed deeply. "I don't want to get married. But at the same time, I don't really want to leave either," she mused.

"Why not? It would be the simplest solution," Shiruka pressed. After all, it was his duty to guard her… why not go another step further and help her with her current problems?

"Because… okay, because I usually don't stay in one place for very long, especially in a house. Youkai are always attracted to the aura of the Shikon no Tama within me, and I have to fight them off. But damages always happened, so I decided to always be on the move so I was harder to track. Also… well, I've made friends here. You, Kiria, Rin, even Ikaru, although I barely know him. I don't have many friends," she said in a vulnerably soft voice.

"Because you are immortal. And your friends died even as you still wear the appearance of a young girl. Am I right?" he guessed. Kagome nodded desolately.

"I know how that feels…" he told her. His eyes clouded over, and the snowflake insignia on his forehead flashed brighter. "I loved a human woman once, when I was much younger. I still cannot forget her…" he said woefully. His lips turned downwards, and he sighed deeply. Kagome surprised him by patting his back.

"But we have to live in the present, so let's try and figure out what we can do about this," he declared determinedly. "That's right!" Kagome grinned.

----------

A/N: A few words shorter than usual, but I have no more time.

Anyway. Kinda disappointed with the reviews I received last chapter. Much less than usual. Too sad to say anything more.

For those of you who read/watch Naruto, who's your favorite character? Favorite pairing? Any nice fics to recommend?

Shirohane is a really good writer. Check him out! So is Just a Starving Writer, although both have stopped writing due to personal reasons.

Right. Anyway.

Review, okay! I'm really sad… and my fingers hurt a lot… Plus reviews help me write faster/wink wink hint hint/

I'm looking for this story. I've forgotten the title and the author, but the pairing was Kagura/Naraku. Rare, I know. Anyway. Naraku somehow reverted to his 'Onigumo' state of mind at the end of a battle where both he and Kagura are injured badly. Kagura and Kanna's hearts are returned to them. When Kagura awakes, she is being taken care of by Kanna. Naraku is also there, although he is more… er… innocent. Yeah. Mr. Nice Guy, basically. Anybody know this fic? Please tell me! Please!

Also, when I was typing up this chapter, I was doing when I was NOT supposed to. When no one was home, I found my laptop on my sister's stool and took it. But she came home when I just finished. And I panicked and didn't save the chapter. Thankfully, she frowned at me for not being a good girl, but she still saved Chapter 14! Hooray! If you have too much time and want to thank her too, tell me and I'll tell her. Okay?

I'm thinking of renaming the story to 'Kagome to Sesshoumaru no Monogatari', (かごめと殺生丸の物語), which means The Legend of Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Or possibly 'Miko to Taiyoukai no Monogatari'. Which, obviously, is The Legend of the Miko and Taiyoukai. Should I? Should I not? Which one? Vote. Tell me what you think. I'll also consider any other suggestions!

From now on, review replies will be emailed to you directly.

Also, the person who added Protector to Youkai99Angel's C2 Community hasn't revealed herself/himself yet. Please, do tell me.

Okay. Gotta go now.

Kyasarinyume07 signing off.


	15. Rocking the Court

Protector

Chapter 15: Rocking the Court

"Kagome-chan, Yukiko-chan and I have come to help you get ready for the evening!" Rin appeared in the doorway, a wide smile pasted on her face and a flower in one hand. After all, was Rin not always with a smile, a flower, or both? Yukiko, the phoenix demoness who served as Rin's lady-in-waiting, stood behind her, carrying a folded gown for Rin and wearing a tolerant smile. Kagome turned and smiled as Shiruka silently slipped outside after bowing to Rin.

Yukiko was a tall phoenix demoness. Long, silky black hair liberally streaked with different hues of sienna and deep orange fell to her waist, perfectly straight. She retained an encumbering tail that trailed one and a half meters behind her, like the male peacock's did when its tail was furled. As a result, her crimson and gold feathers were occasionally scuffed, and Rin helped her care for the bent ones. Her eyes were a deep honey hue, with flecks of red, like stars against the velvety midnight sky. Her hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, and was presently caught up in an elegant chignon. She wore a pale purple furisode imprinted with violet flowers, to show that she served Rin. A minor noble in her own right, she had a knack for folding origami with nimble fingers that currently held a folded pink silk fan.

"I suggested that perhaps you would like help with your hair and makeup since you are presumably inexperienced in these things," Yukiko said smoothly, a small smile tilting her lips. Kagome held out her arms to embrace Rin. "I'm so happy you both came. I haven't even picked a dress yet. Why don't you help me?" she grinned, eyes sparkling as the two hugged tightly.

Yukiko shrugged. "I'll do that. Why don't you do Rin-sama's hair, then," she suggested casually, laying Rin's gown on the bed neatly, taking care to smoothen out wrinkles.

"Come on, Rin-chan. I'll do your hair for you," Kagome smiled. "Un!" Rin nodded enthusiastically, lips curving up. She settled into a chair as Kagome came up behind her. Rin tossed a mahogany jewelry box onto the dressing table and leaned back.

Kagome began to brush out Rin's hair leisurely, enjoying the easy task that involved killing or at least injuring someone. Then she began to plait two thick braids, while weaving a fuchsia hair ribbon through it. As Rin began to doze, she wrapped the braids around the top of the small human's head, twisting it into a coronet and pinning it in place. Flipping open Rin's box, she found jewelry of various types and selected a necklace with a pendant of pink quartz. Arranging the pendant in the center of Rin's forehead, she anchored the ends of the necklace chain in the braid, and stood back to admire her handiwork.

Meanwhile, Yukiko rummaged through the outer kimonos in the wardrobe, dismissing some as too elaborate, and some as too simple. The miko garb she rejected immediately, declaring that Sesshoumaru's demon court would not appreciate it if Kagome flaunted her miko heritage and powers, even if she was the protector of the Shikon no Tama. Kagome ignored her as Yukiko muttered gibberish non-stop under her breath like a person demented.

However, Kagome did look up as Yukiko exclaimed in triumph. She pulled out a flowing twilight blue gown with elegant lines and smiled. "Perfect," she pronounced, and held it out to Kagome.

Silver maple leaves were printed onto the dusky blue cloth, which felt like a silk and cotton blend. It was an elegant furisode with long trailing sleeves and a hem that dragged on the floor. "You'll need at least two layers underneath that," Yukiko noted. She laid out a silver silk under gown, finely spun as a spider's web, along with a black cotton one. "And an obi…" she murmured. Pulling a stiff silver sash out of the wardrobe, she tossed it to the miko. "And that completes your outfit." Yukiko said with a satisfied grin.

"Lovely. You're good at this, you know," Kagome ran a finger over the soft material of the outer dress, luxuriating in the smooth feeling. "I know." Yukiko nodded in the affirmative. "This is one of the reasons why I was personally handpicked by Sesshoumaru-sama to serve Rin-sama," she proclaimed, gesturing for Kagome to sit in a chair so she could do her hair. (A/N: Rhyme not intended.)

The phoenix demoness came over and began to run a hairbrush through Kagome's thick hair. The repeated brushstrokes were unexpectedly soothing. As the miko's eyelids began to droop, Yukiko's thoughts lingered on the deadly dagger concealed in her sleeve. She hesitated before shaking her head and focusing her full attention on the girl attempting to stay awake in front of her. Yukiko considered a moment before deciding to leave the curtain of hair loose for maximum effect. She rapped Kagome on the shoulder with the wood-backed hairbrush. "Wake up. You should change now, so I can put on your makeup," she said, gliding over to the dressing table. Her feathers rustled behind her softly.

Kagome pulled a face but obligingly ducked behind the screens provided with dress in hand. When she finally emerged, the kimono fit her perfectly, long sleeves trailing behind her. She swiftly tied the obi around her waist and smiled.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door. "Come on in," she called.

Shiruka held a small cardboard box in his hands as he stepped into the room. "Kagome, a servant has delivered this, saying that it was left at the main gate for you by some male demon," he informed her, holding out the box. "I don't sense anything from it…" Kagome took it and flipped the top up.

A sparkling silver necklace with no pendant lay coiled up inside, reflecting light. It didn't have a pendant because it didn't need one. Tiny chips of diamond were embedded inside each chain link, and it was a beautiful work of art.

"Wow. Nice," Kagome enthused, running her eyes all over it. "And it matches my gown too! I'll wear it!" she caught it up and clasped it around her neck.

"Okay, fine, sit down and I'll do makeup," Yukiko rolled her eyes and waved Shiruka out of the room.

After about fifteen minutes, Kagome was ready to go. She packed the pots of powder and lipstick that Yukiko had used on her while the noblewoman woke Rin and changed her clothes. Pink powder was dusted on her cheeks and cheekbones, and her lips were covered with pale pink lipstick. (A/N: I'm drowning in pinkiness…) Her eyeshadow was a striking blue edged with silver, and the hair curling around her face was lightly streaked with silver hair glitter.

"Let's go, then," Kagome opened the door and held it as Rin and Yukiko walked out together.

----------

Kagome waited with Shiruka outside the gigantic room where the court gathered, the one that Rin had told her was nicknamed the Jewel Box. She could hear the herald of the court announcing that a visitor had come to stay with their lord for a while, and she took a deep breath and drew herself up to her full height as the three meter high doors swung open, a pair of demon footmen pulling them to let her enter.

Her first impression of the room was colors. The walls were painted with scenes from the forest, flower meadows, with birds and butterflies. In the middle of this large painting reclined a white dog demon in his animal form, with a paw raised as though to protect something. A small girl cowered against the dog's deep chest, and the demon snarled, poisonous saliva dripping from his mouth. A human who looked at it would say that the girl was about to get eaten. But Kagome and the other demons gathered here knew the truth – that the dog demon was protecting her. The flowers and butterflies were inlaid with precious and semi-precious gemstones that glittered and flashed in the flickering light that was produced from the torches on stands which were spaced out equally on the ground.

"Higurashi Kagome, the Protector of the Shikon no Tama and the one known as the Protector Miko!" The herald announced, his voice filling the hall. All murmured conversations drew to a halt abruptly as Kagome paced in slowly, Shiruka at her shoulder. She focused on the dais at the end of the room and glided towards Sesshoumaru with measured steps. Shiruka's eyes darted from side to side, hands hovering near his sword hilts.

"I am honored to be here today," Kagome sank into a curtsy once she reached the end of the carpet. Sesshoumaru nodded to her. He sat in an ornate chair, almost a throne, specially designed to let the ones gathered here know exactly who held the reins of power. Rin sat beside him, her part of the dais slightly lower than the demon lord's. The girl caught Kagome's eye and grinned, giving her a discreet thumbs-up. Yukiko, who stood to Rin's left, nodded slightly. Ikaru stood directly behind Sesshoumaru, eyes flying in all directions although his head was stationary.

"You may rise and take a seat," Sesshoumaru said, indicating the chair beside him. Kagome fell out of the deep curtsy, and walked towards him, her skirts brushing the floor lightly. She sat down gracefully, and as Sesshoumaru turned his eyes on the crowd of demons before them, soft conversation and movement resumed.

"Does anybody here wish to take Kagome here to wife?" Sesshoumaru asked, his quiet voice still audible to those who stood at the back. A stunned silence fell over the room. This question was traditionally asked at the end of a court session, when the males had had a chance to get to know the offered female a little better.

A demon standing in the middle of the crowd stepped onto the carpet, followed by another, and another. Before long, six demons stood before Sesshoumaru's throne, eyes downcast. It was forbidden to meet the eyes of the lord unless expressly bidden to do so.

"Kagome, will you pick any of these to be your mate?" Sesshoumaru turned to the miko who sat quietly beside him.

Kagome lifted her chin. "No."

----------

A/N: …and cut. Whee! Chapter 15 done. Haha. And what will Kagome do to get out of this? Answers will appear next chapter. Anybody suspect anything wrong with that necklace? Answered in the next chapter, or the next. Depends on how long the court thing takes. Right

Review replies were emailed to you directly, if you reviewed. Thank you again for doing so.

Those who don't mind reading NC-17 fics, read rinseternalsoul's As Death Gives Life, or A Universe of Illusions by biancaharl. I believe both can only be found on A Single Spark.

Please review for me, okay? And I will try to update soon. I'll be flying to Thailand on the 18th, and I won't be back til the 23rd so updates will be delayed. It's my holiday! Whee!

/winks/ Well, I've got to go now.

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. Ja ne!


	16. It's MY Life!

Protector

_Anata ga kawari, sekai ga kawaru_

_**(The world has changed, you are changing)**_

_Yume ni todoke ai no hono_

_**(The flames of love reach for a dream)**_

_Yura yura shinkirou koete_

_**(And pass through a wavering mirage)**_

_Sora ni wa hikari, daichi ni mizu wo_

_**(The light in the skies, and water in the earth)**_

_Sono kokoro ni tsuyosa wo _

_**(A prayer ANGELUS, the strength)**_

_Mirai he tadoritsuku ANGELUS_

_**(In your heart to reach for the future.)**_

_- Hitomi Shimatani, ANGELUS, last ending song of Inuyasha_

Chapter 16: It's My Life

An astounded silence fell over the Jewel Box, the type in which you would be able to hear a pin drop, or feathers swish against the ground. Kagome rose to her feet, posture defiant as she faced the whole court of demons head on. Then soft conversation filled the room, as speculative stares were slanted in her direction. Kagome waited until the murmuring died down, and opened her mouth to speak.

The interruption came from a bull-like demon who roared in protest. "My lord Sesshoumaru, this is preposterous! Women are not suited to make their own decisions; they are by nature weaker and more lascivious than men. This mere slip of a girl cannot be depended upon to decide for herself!" he called, outraged. The crowd made no effort to part as he attempted to push his way to the front. Kagome swung her head to look at him, eyes narrowed.

"Well, I finally understand why you still have no mate, Rendan," a lazy voice drawled slowly. Kagome turned to stare at a girl who had her arms crossed and was currently leaning against a pillar, eyes half-closed.

Sesshoumaru intervened before Rendan could come up with a witty retort, as that in itself could have overstressed his brain and given him a heart attack. Plus, it might have taken him so long to think of one that the older members of the court might have died. "I will have no unnecessary chatter in my court as long as I am present. Take your petty squabbles elsewhere. I am willing to consider any solutions that Kagome-san may have thought of," he declared, shooting Rendan a warning look. The bull demon subsided: cowed into submission, but by no way satisfied.

An expectant silence filled the hall as every eye fixed on Kagome, who looked like a child standing there.

"I know it is the tradition that a guest take a mate here if she is still unmated. I know that if I do not choose, those who wish to possess me must fight for me. What I ask is that you allow me to modify this honorable custom. Instead of letting them fight each other, let them fight me," Kagome pleaded, eyes flicking from person to person in hope. Some faces showed indifference, some disgust, some polite attentiveness, some genuine interest. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in thought, contemplating quietly.

"Do you imagine that you will be able to beat these demons?" a youkai standing near the front asked quietly. He looked the thoughtful sort, the type who considered each move before making it. "I have faith in myself," Kagome replied. He nodded and stepped backwards, nodding to her. Rendan's mouth opened, but the person beside him promptly jabbed him in the ribs, making him shut up.

"I have decided. All will be as she says. The first fight will commence at noon tomorrow. The rules will be told to the warriors later. It is now eight forty-five PM. All challengers will meet in my study at nine ten exactly. Latecomers will be disqualified. As I have said, so let it be done," Sesshoumaru declared, getting to his feet and descending from the dais, followed by Ikaru, Rin and Yukiko. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and shot Sesshoumaru a grateful glance.

She was stepping down when a small weight leapt to her shoulder. Kirara had been awaiting the chance to rejoin her mistress. The miko smiled as she petted her cat affectionately. Kirara's tails swung from side to side rhythmically as she mewed in joy.

Kagome cautiously made her way through the crowd, enduring the curious and even some hostile stares, heading for the girl who had spoken against Rendan a while ago.

"Umm… hi. I'm Kagome. Thanks for defending me just now," she inclined her head to the girl, whose eyes opened fully to scrutinize her closely. Disconcertingly direct beryl orbs swept over her. "Yo. I'm Luria. And you're welcome," she replied.

Long, burnished golden tresses cascaded like a waterfall to her waist in soft, gentle waves. Slanted green eyes glittered with mischief, a hint of laughter sparkling in their depths. A nose that was a shade too long and a pointed chin a tad too firm made her seem real, instead of some perfect beauty. Her hair was tucked behind her ears. A few random locks of hair had faded to the color of thick cream. She wore wide-legged silky pants, so full that they looked like a skirt from a distance. A multi-colored blouse with billowing sleeves cheered up her outfit. A small rainbow was tattooed on the side of her left wrist. A bright green feather dangled from her right ear.

"So. You are the miko the humans call the Protector, right?" Luria asked, letting her eyelids drift down a little again. Kagome nodded, mystified by the strange topic of discussion her new acquaintance had picked. A small smile curved Luria's lips. "Then, I must thank you for having saved my younger sister last year. She escaped the house and entered the woods. You rescued her from wild demons. So, on behalf of my family, I beg you to accept my gratitude. We are in your debt," Luria bowed respectfully. Kagome looked surprised. "Oh, no. It is my duty and it is why I'm still hanging around here anyway," she demurred.

Shiruka coughed pointedly behind her, and Kagome realized that her time was almost up. "Well, it looks like I've got to go… see you around?" she asked. "Yeah, sure. I'll be rooting for you tomorrow. You go, girl!" Luria gave her a thumbs up and walked away to disappear in the crowd.

"Wow. What type of demoness is she, Shiruka?" Kagome asked as her guard led the way out of the room. "Lady Luria is not a demoness. She is a unicorn spirit, and is classed as an immortal," he told her, walking faster. "Oh dear, we're going to be late," he frowned. "I kind of doubt you can run in that get-up, too," he shot a glance at her dress, which was admittedly unsensible.

Kirara transformed in a whirl of flame, as Shiruka's mouth dropped open. He had assumed Kirara was just Kagome's cute little kitten. Kagome stifled a chuckle at his shell-shocked look. A grin formed on her face as one rather prissy old woman fainted dead away. She was unable to control a few amused snickers. "Thank you, Kirara. Shiruka, would it be faster to fly?" she asked.

"Yes, it would," he replied, staring at the fire-cat, who patiently bore his gaze. "Then let's go," she leapt onto Kirara's back, both legs dangling on one side. Shiruka gingerly climbed onto the fire-cat, and almost fell off when Kirara's paws sprouted flames and she bounded into the sky. Recovering quickly, he gave directions to Sesshoumaru's study.

----------

Kirara landed on the balcony of the study with a soft thump. Sesshoumaru turned, saw them and beckoned for them to enter. The six challengers were already in a row, in front of the large, sturdy desk.

"Do any of you wish to back out?" Sesshoumaru asked curtly, and was replied by headshakes. "Very well." He gestured for Kagome to seat herself, as the only lady in the room.

"I have prepared the rules. Weapons of any type and magic are allowed. No poison. A fighting companion no larger than a horse will be allowed. You may take Kirara over there as an example. The companion cannot be able to transform into a human. You will fight in the order of which you came out. All battles will be held at the dojo outside. All challengers will be required to attend all battles. And now, you seven are going to get acquainted. I will return in an hour's time. Shiruka will stay here." He rattled off quickly before leaving equally fast. Evidently, he disliked such things. The six were left staring at Kagome.

"Uh, since you all already know who I am, why don't you introduce yourselves? Come on, sit down," Kagome suggested. They moved to sit on chairs which Shiruka carried over, until they all sat in a circle.

"Who will fight me first tomorrow?" Kagome asked pleasantly.

"I will." A crimson-haired demon spoke up. "I am Manazabe Shirito, heir to the legacy of the fire demons," he nodded to her politely. Ruby-hued eyes darted nervously around the room. A tiny flame flickered on his brow, shimmering with red, orange and blue hues. His movements were quick and jerky. A blood red stripe ran down both cheeks vertically. Kagome could deduce that this guy would be no problem for her. Just one arrow and he would be down. "Nice to meet you, Shirito-san," Kagome said politely.

"I'm Korate Sakashi, second son of Korate Kakechi, leader of the bear demons," another one piped up. His voice was high, like a girl's soprano. And that was just too freaky! His clothes were eerily familiar… The exact same cut as Jakotsu's! A brown X symbol rested on his forehead, testament to his family. Kagome shuddered inside, remembering the Shichinintai and the horrible time the shard gatherers had had, having to deal with six out of seven. She smiled courteously, but said nothing.

"I'm Jikaran Shouro, heir to the snake demon leader. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said, smiling. His voice was smooth, his words sounded as though he'd practiced them over and over. Black hair was spiked up in the back of his head and a spiral marked his forehead. One curved arc marred each cheek. She smiled at him, and turned her gaze to the next person.

Before he spoke, Kagome's miko senses rang with alarm. "Good evening. I am Hotori Katake, new leader of the dragon clan," he greeted charmingly, but his eyes were cold and hard, like ice. He moved like a wildcat, tightly controlled strength hidden in his daily routine. A six pointed star sat on his brow, and black hair framed his face. Kagome narrowed her eyes and nodded her greeting to him. She would have to be careful with him…

"Kochide Kimimato, cousin to the heir of the leader of the water demon clan at your service, my lady," a well-built demon smiled at her. A teardrop-shaped blue insignia filled his forehead. Water demons. Kagome had fought them before. Again, it would be tough if he transformed into his true form, but if he stayed in human form, it would be okay. Fire opposed water. She was good with fire.

"You know me already, Kagome," a masculine voice said. It was true. Kagome **did** recognize that voice.

"K-k-k-KOUGA!" she shrieked.

----------

Okay, everyone I apologize for updating so late. You guys know me, I had a reason. Really. School's started again for me, and I'm really busy now. Yeah. But I'll never forget about you guys!

For those who reviewed, replies were mailed out to all who were signed in. You all were also told the reason why I'm updating late if you reviewed early.

I broke my record! 36 reviews for one chapter! Oh my God, I am SO happy. This is the best New Year gift you all could give me, even though I don't think it was intentional. Okay. So.

I'm restarting the question/dedication thing. This question works on a different system. For each correct answer you give, you get one point. E.g. if the question is asking for what Inuyasha's attacks are, and you say Kaze no Kizu and Wind Scar even though they're the same thing, you get two points. For every English name you get right, you get one point. For every Japanese name you get right, you get another point. Understand? Great. I know the maximum amount of points it's possible to get. So, now, the person with the highest number of points wins the dedication. If there is more than one person who got the maximum points, the one who sent in his/her review wins. Yeah?

What are the names of Kagura's attacks?

So, what are you waiting for? Send in your answers!

If you are looking for an amusing fic to read, check out my latest one-shot named Tegami. Thanks to Yami396 for reading it first. Luv ya! And I do remember that I promised to read your story. I will, really. Promise!

To **kibou hope:** Hey, are you still out there? Since I've got my tablet back, I would like to have you beta-read again if it's possible. Email me and we'll discuss it, okay? I don't even know whether you're still around or not. Thanks. (P.S. When are you updating YOUR story?)

Remember to review!

Kyasarinyume07 signing off.

Quote of the day:

"_It is better to stay quiet and be called a fool rather than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." –Mark Twain_


	17. A Mysterious Murder

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **Box Queen.**

_Kono sayounara ga tabidachi naraba_

_**(If this farewell is the beginning of a journey)**_

_Boku no egao wo zenbu ageru yo_

_**(I'll smile as much as I can for you.)**_

_Deatta koto mo aruite machi mo_

_**(As the fact that we met and walked the streets together)**_

_Futari no mune de ikitsudzukeru no _

_**(Will live on in our hearts.)**_

_Zutto zutto wasurenai _

_**(I'll never, ever forget)**_

_Tobira ikutsu agete mo_

_**(Even if I open countless doors)**_

_Donna ni tooku hanarete mo_

_**(No matter how far apart we are)**_

_Tsunaida te to te hanare wa shinai_

_**(Our locked hands will never break apart.)**._

_-BoA, chorus and bridge from her new single 'EVERLASTING'_

Chapter 17: A Mysterious Murder

"K-kouga?" Kagome repeated faintly. His wolfish grin widened. "The one and only." He answered, getting up and walking to her. "Kagome, my love, I hope you've remembered that you're my woman throughout all these years," he said possessively, grabbing her hands. A light blush broke across her cheeks. A soft clearing of Shouro's throat got their attention. "Well, for one, I hope that you two remember that we are all still here, touching though your reunion may be," the snake demon remarked, unhidden amusement dancing in his eyes. Kouga glared at him. "Mark my words, she's MINE," he pulled Kagome to her feet and snaked an arm around her waist. A tiny shock of purification power ran up his hand, and he jerked away. "Please don't do things like that, Kouga. You'll only end up hurt," she reprimanded sternly. Kouga stared at her, jaw dropping. Since when did his sweet little mate-to-be talk like that to him? Perhaps the hundred years had changed her more than it had him.

A knock on the door sounded, and Shiruka went to open it. A disheveled messenger boy with a tiny horn on his forehead ran in, panting for breath. "My lord has summoned my lady to the servant quarters. She is to come alone," he rattled off. Kagome nodded and prepared to take her leave. "Hey, you can't just take Kagome away like that. We're in the middle of something here!" Kouga protested. He hadn't seen her for a long, long time, and he didn't want to part from her so quickly. "It is my lord's orders, sir," the page shook his head. Kagome smiled at all of them, and swept from the room regally, Shiruka and the messenger behind her, leaving a sulking Kouga behind.

----------

"What's this?" Kagome stared down at the corpse on the roughly-hewn wooden floor. Sesshoumaru did not grace her with a reply, instead choosing to glare at her. If he knew, he wouldn't have called for her, would he? Obviously not. "I believe it may be the work of a vampire under Kariyu," he decided to say. Kagome's eyebrows dipped in a frown. "That means that you have a spy here. Besides, this corpse still retains most of its blood," she noticed, bending to inspect the neck. Sure enough, two fang marks dotted the skin there, blood oozing sluggishly from the tiny holes.

"There are vampires who do not live on blood, my lord, my lady. There are vampires who feed on innocent things like the smell of perfume or music, and there are more lethal ones who consume souls, blood, and life force," Shiruka volunteered the information, peering at the dead body from behind Kagome, who pursed her lips and focused on the corpse at her feet.

"Yeah, there's no trace of a soul at all," she confirmed, shaking her head slowly. "How would you know?" Sesshoumaru was so surprised that he asked. Kagome shot him an unreadable glance. "After Kikyou returned her half of the soul to me, I retained her ability to see spirits as glowing orbs within bodies. A person who has died of disease or wounds usually has a trace of soul left on it which only dissipates after weeks. This body has no soul residue," she answered after hesitating a beat.

"Well, I doubt Keegan will be missed," Shiruka commented. Kagome gave him a questioning look, and he willingly explained. "Keegan shirked his duties most of the time and whined the rest," he elaborated, sighing deeply.

"If the murderer is indeed a vampire, then he must have taken Kariyu's blood in order to emerge during the daylight hours," Kagome mused. Sesshoumaru nodded. Kirara paced over to sniff at Keegan's clothing, then sneezed delicately. "Is there a scent to track by, Kirara?" her mistress asked hopefully. The little cat shook her head before leaping to Shiruka's shoulder. "So, scent-covering, daylight emergence, and possibly illusion-making," Kagome said, mentally running through a list of possible abilities their enemy might have.

"We'll all have to be on our guard. Inform the servants, soldiers and nobles that no one is allowed to carry out their duties alone. Tell them to move in pairs," Sesshoumaru issued the order to Ikaru, who bowed and withdrew silently, brushing past the miko and her guard before running swiftly down the hallway.

----------

"Kagura, you have a sister, do you not?" Kariyu enquired. The crimson-eyed wind sorceress nodded a confirmation, kneeling gracefully. "Where is she?" the vampire pressed patiently. "She left to go to China, my lord," Kagura replied, head bowed. "China, huh… a bit too far. All right. I want you to send her a message telling her to come back here. Don't tell her why, just tell her to do it. Also, I want you to go to the location marked on this map. Attempt entrance into the cave. If you manage it, bring back the person you will find there. If you are repelled, try to get in. If not, return and report," Kariyu ordered, tossing her a rolled-up map. She rose, curtsied, and backed out of the room. "Oh, and have Jaken brought in," he called after her.

Jaken entered a few minutes later, visibly trembling. His new master was somewhat frightening and prone to fits of violence, especially towards him. A giant bruise ran across his back, given when he had unwittingly stood in the way of the master.

"Jaken, I have a task for you," Kariyu said, sitting beside the window and gazing out. It was just past nightfall, his favorite time of the day. The sky looked velvety; the stars resembled silver spangles against the dark backdrop. Candles in the four corners of the room gave off a ghostly, flickering golden light as Kariyu's dark orbs glinted.

Jaken knelt. "I am yours to command, my lord," he abased himself shamelessly. He would go to any lengths to remain uninjured for the most part today.

"I want you to journey to Sesshoumaru's castle. Reach there three days from today. Two of my spies will meet at you at midnight in the forest a mile from there. You will look for them at the tree which is half as wide as the others. Do not be late for the meeting. You will collect their verbal reports and remember them word for word. There is to be no failure. Do you understand?" Kariyu did not look at the toad creature, but stared at the wall across, as though Jaken was hard on his eyes, which in all likeliness was true. "Yes, master. I will make preparations and leave at once," Jaken scrambled out of the room backwards, crawling on hands and feet.

Kariyu smiled. Although the toad creature stank like a swamp, there were perks to having him around, the main one being that he got to see Jaken groveling like nobody's business.

----------

Kagura soared through the dark sky, feather white against the dark blue. Her hair streamed freely behind her. Within her cell in her own mind, she threw herself against the unyielding bars and screamed her throat hoarse, but it was no use. Her body continued traveling onward, refusing to obey her commands.

In a few hours, she reached her destination, a dark cave nestled in between two high mountains. It was chillingly cold there, and the icy wind rustled through her hair and clothes. Although it was her own element, her body shivered hard, and began to move faster.

As she reached out a hand to test the entrance, she found no resistance there, although she expected the shocking pain of a strong barrier. She advanced forward slowly, warily, noticing that no plants grew in the cave, not even moss. A blue glow lit the end, and she hurried towards it, her metal fan in hand.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that the blue light was being given off by a strong barrier. This barrier, although extremely strong, was also transparent, and she could see inside. A person lay on a raised shelf of rock, limbs unnaturally still. The only thing that proved he was still alive was the slow movement of his stomach, showing that he continued to breath. Silver hair spilled out around his face, having been left to grow unchecked. The person was dressed entirely in red, with a white undershirt. He was barefoot, and claws replaced nails on his fingers and toes. Kagura's eyes widened as she recognized the person lying there. _Inuyasha._

As though he realized she was there, golden orbs slowly opened as he turned his head to look at her. "You are not welcome. Leave now." He said, in a voice rusty from disuse. He did not appear to remember her. Going back to his original position, his eyelids slid downwards again, shielding those incredible golden eyes.

Kagura backed away, then broke into a run as she raced for the cave entrance. The minute she was out, she plucked her feather from her hair and rose into the darkness, speeding away as quickly as she could. So that was where Inuyasha had ended up. Unaccepted, unloved, he had resorted to closing himself away into a barrier. What would Kagome say if she knew? Would Inuyasha even respond to her call? How could Kagura even send the message to her?

A tear dripped from her emotionless red eyes, sliding ever-so-slowly down her cheek.

----------

Kagome turned her head as she walked down the corridor with Shiruka at her side. She could've sworn she heard a desperate cry of her name. Dismissing it as her imagination, she hurried faster, eager to sink into restful slumber.

----------

A/N: Hi everyone! I know that this is late, and I apologize. However, please note that I may not be updating so regularly because I do have schoolwork, you know. Last year, I ignored all my homework and almost got killed by my teachers. I don't wish to have that happen again, so I will faithfully hand in everything on time. Please understand. I did quite badly last year, and I _know_ I can do better. I want to use my potential to do something more, something better.

Anyway, **kibou hope** has not sent me an email yet. Please contact me so I know whether to send my chapters to you to be beta-read or not!

Mm. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to **Box Queen**, who got 5 out of 6 for the question last chapter. She would have gotten full marks, but 1 point was deducted because of spelling mistakes. The answers are as follows –

Dance of the Wind Blades – Fujin no Mai

Dance of the Dead – Shikabane no Mai

Dance of the Dragon – Ryuuja no Mai

Yeah. This round's question is,

What are Inuyasha's attacks? Please note, this includes his claws and Tetsusaiga. Yeah.

I think I replied to everyone who reviewed, although I'm not too sure. I'm sorry if I missed you out, it wasn't intentional.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I know there were some who couldn't review, because I removed the A/N chapter, and the reviews were also pushed back one chapter. Thus, only those who didn't review for Chapter 15 could review for Chapter 16. Yeah.

Thanks to **Yami396** for reviewing on my latest oneshot, Together Forever. I like that one, actually, although it didn't get too many reviews. /shrugs/ oh well, whatever.

Thanks to **MaibuWolf** who recommended me Serendipity by Technoelfie. It's a crossover between Naruto and Inuyasha. It's really good. KakashiKagome pairing. Lol, I loved the part where Kagome dragged Kakashi to go and shop. Guys really are allergic to shopping for more than ten minutes at a time, huh? Yeah. Thanks. I really love that story.

Anyone who likes ItachiSakura pairings from Naruto, read Loophole by Leafygirl. It's super excellent! If you have any other fanfictions to recommend me, I'll be glad to read them. I don't care about the pairings, I'm quite open minded. Yeah. The only Naruto pairing I don't like to read is NejiSasuke, because they're both… quite… angsty. Plus, they're both ice-cubes. Where's the fun in that? Yeah.

Okay, I gotta go now. Bye minna-san!

Kyasarinyume07 signing off. I have a test tomorrow. DOWN WITH SCHOOL!


	18. Ai no Uta

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **xSaki-chanx** for the correct answers last chapter and **Yami396, Won-Won-Weirdo**for reviewing every single Inuyasha story that I've written since I posted Protector and supporting me even when I revealed that I had writers block. (This also applies to** inus blue eyed miko.**

_Kono you ni umarete_

_**(We've been born in this world)**_

_Anata no me ni_

_**(And within your eyes)**_

_Nani wo ozoshite_

_**(Something is stirring.)**_

_Ima kono chi ni chikara wo_

_**(Right now, there is power in this earth)**_

_No ni hana wo_

_**(And flowers in the field)**_

_Kokoro ni ai wo_

_**(And love in your heart.)**_

_**Ai no Uta, sung by Every Little Thing. The rough English translation is done by me and may not be accurate as I could not find it on the Internet.**_

Chapter 18: Ai no Uta

Kagome fumbled with the clasp of the necklace exasperatedly before giving up. Opening the door and leaning out, she asked Shiruka for help. He nodded in acquiescence, and proceeded to unhook the necklace from around her neck with no trouble at all. Kagome growled a little when she saw that he was perfectly fine with it, and ducked back into the room again, ready to sleep.

Shiruka was summoned with a soft cry of pain about an hour later. He rushed into the room immediately, only to see Kagome writhing on the bed in agony. There were regular red marks around her neck, where the necklace had rested. 'Poison!' he guessed immediately.

"Kagome, please awake," he called, slapping her cheeks lightly with the back of her hand. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Shiruka? It hurts…" she moaned. Fever spots raged high on her cheekbones, and her face was flushed. Shiruka cursed silently as he felt the heat emanating from her.

"Hang on a minute, I'll just go get Sesshoumaru-sama," he reassured her. She nodded, and fell back weakly. The poison was coursing through her veins with every beat of her heart, and every drop of poison which reached the organ pumping blood was one less required to kill her.

Shiruka dashed down the corridor at his maximum speed, boots thudding on the polished wooden floor. "Ikaru-san, Kagome has been poisoned," he gasped out. The eagle demon nodded, folded his wings and opened the door after knocking on it for a moment. Shiruka almost fell inside. "What's wrong?" the regal dog demon asked, seated in a chair with a book open on his lap. "Kagome has been poisoned, she's having a really bad time," Shiruka reported. Sesshoumaru wrinkled his brow.

"Ikaru, summon Kiria and have her brought to Kagome's room now," he ordered. Ikaru bowed and darted off instantly. Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, the book discarded and forgotten. Without speaking another word, he strode out and towards the guest room the wayward miko was living in.

----------

Kiria bent over Kagome, frowning anxiously. Tracing the burgundy marks on Kagome's neck, she laid her hands on the unconscious girl's shoulders, and concentrated. Soft green light manifested under her fingers, and sank into Kagome's skin. The bubbles of radiance could be seen moving about in Kagome's body. They drifted towards the red markings, and then Kiria clenched her fist shut. The bubbles began to implode, and rose out of Kagome's body, causing her to cry out in pain. Kiria soaked up the liquid leaking out of the hollow air bubbles with a disinfected piece of cloth, wearing a satisfied air.

"I've taken a sample of the poison which was used on her. I suspect it is a contact poison which only comes into effect after all contact with it has ceased, so put the necklace on for her. I'll try and analyze the ingredients that went into this poison, and I'll concoct an antidote for it. This might take a while, so please don't worry while I begin work," Kiria reported. Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding, waving a hand in dismissal. Shiruka opened the door and let Kiria out, while Ikaru guarded the corridor outside.

"This is a deliberate murder attempt, Sesshoumaru-sama," Shiruka exclaimed vehemently. He did not reply, steepling his fingers in front of his face and beginning to consider the people who might have done it. "Shiruka, think of the possible people who might have targeted her," Sesshoumaru ordered.

"Well… I'd say it was either that idiot who stood up and protested during court, or Keegan's vampire murderer," Shiruka deduced. Sesshoumaru nodded. "However, it's not very possible for Rendan to have done it. No one was informed of Kagome's arrival except the court herald on duty. He wouldn't have known that she was here at all. Besides, he only protested because she wanted to start something new. He's a bull-headed person. So, I conclude that the most likely murder suspect is the one who killed the guard," Sesshoumaru reasoned out loud. Shiruka nodded in agreement.

"So, how do we begin to search for him?" Shiruka asked.

"It's possible that we'll be able to tell which region he comes from judging from the ingredients used in the poison. If that happens, then we'll be able to narrow the suspects down. We can cancel off the servants immediately; none of them would have the power needed to kill a guard. We can start by checking through the soldiers, and the nobles. All of the nobles." Sesshoumaru explained. Shiruka looked thoughtful.

In the bed, Kagome tossed and turned restlessly. Shiruka went to wet the cloth on her forehead which was meant to bring her temperature down, and found it almost fully dry. Her temperature was dangerously high, and she was drying up inside. Shiruka tried to dribble some water into her mouth, but she spat it out and continued thrashing.

----------

Several hours later, an exhausted Kiria returned to the room, greeted by two pairs of eyes, one openly anxious and the other displayed no emotion at all.

"I managed to isolate the most dangerous ingredient of all. It is the Draca Cor, which is found in the high mountains on the easternmost tip of Japan. The antidote to the Draca Cor can be found there also, it is named the Shinketsuchi plant. I've drawn a rough sketch of it. I need someone to go and collect it, because I don't have any of it here. It's such a rare plant, I've never bothered to learn much about it. But I need the leaves of the Shinketsuchi in a maximum of five days time. It will take a regular youkai more than a month to cross Japan. Without it, Kagome-sama will die," Kiria elaborated. Her voice was slurring, and there were bags under her eyes. She was very tired from taking the poison apart, and it showed very strongly. Kiria could do no more that day.

"Is there any way to keep Kagome alive long enough for someone to get the plant?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kiria shook her head. "I can devise a way to keep her going for perhaps two or three weeks at the most, but it's not enough. This poison is specially devised so that it can't be burnt out by raw healing power alone," she explained, feeling guilty that she couldn't help when her lord required it.

"Some of the envoys come from the East, right? Perhaps they have the antidote," Shiruka suggested after thinking for awhile. "That's true. Ikaru, summon the four Eastern envoys, Luria, Mikki, Chidori and Terazuin," Sesshoumaru ordered. The eagle demon had returned to his employer a few moments before Kiria. He bowed, and slipped out of the door again. The light flickering from the lamps in the four corners of the room reflected off the metal surface of his spear point sharply, as shadows danced on the wall.

----------

Luria arrived first, and she frowned as she spotted Kagome's inert form lying in the bed. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, bending down to touch Kagome's forehead and wincing when she felt how hot it was. "Poison," Shiruka answered succinctly. Sesshoumaru said nothing, indicating to her with a gesture that they would wait for the other two to reach first.

Terazuin came next. A pale petite figure with snowy white hair glided in through the doorway, looking like a ghost. She was draped in white velvet, which didn't help her much. She looked washed-out. She was somewhat an outcast from the clan of Eastern snow demons, which was why she had volunteered to come to Sesshoumaru's castle and serve as an envoy. She pursed her lips when Kagome thrashed in her fevered sleep, and went to stand near the window.

Mikki arrived on Chidori's arm. The tall, stately tree sprite was not a demon at all, but was classed as an immortal spirit, like Luria. She was the spirit of a cedar tree, and her skin was very lightly-colored. Her long hair fell in waves around her like a curtain, warm chestnut brown enveloping her. The green satin dress she wore showed off her curves nicely, and she seemed to float a little above the gown, looking ethereal.

Chidori, on the other hand, was almost her exact opposite. A short and rather plump demon, he had a perpetually red nose and cheerful aquamarine eyes which sparkled with humor. He was the good-natured sort, and always wore a happy grin. He had short, spiked grey hair, as he was a little past his prime. He loved dressing in bright, crass colors, and didn't seem to mind even though people mocked at his awful taste in clothing. He didn't care if the colors matched or not, just as he didn't care whether he was particularly neat or not when he went out.

"Kagome has been poisoned with the Draca Cor. Do any of you have the antidote?" Sesshoumaru asked bluntly, getting straight to the point as usual. He just couldn't be bothered to be diplomatic and beat around the bush, it was already past midnight, and it was time to go to bed.

Chidori only looked perplexed. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of this Draca Cor. Mikki, what about you?" he turned to the tall sprite beside him. She shook her head silently, since she preferred not to speak unnecessarily. It was a common habit among sprites to convey messages with graceful hand movements, and they shunned verbal speaking.

"I have run out of useful leaves," Terazuin uttered quietly.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any of it with me now. However, I have a hunting lodge some distance away from here, and there is a demon herbwife living there now, with many rare plants. I could go and see whether she has the antidote," Luria suggested. The miko had been polite to her, and that was rare in holy priestesses. So far, other than Kagome, the mikos she had seen had threatened to shoot her with their arrows or beat her bloody with their strange wooden staffs, and she found Kagome's attitude refreshing.

"Go," Sesshoumaru said. It was all he voiced, but it was enough.

Kirara mewed from the corner of the room, flames swirling around her as she swelled in size rapidly. Luria gazed at the fire-cat interestedly, marveling at Kirara.

"Ride her. It will be faster," Sesshoumaru ordered, waving a dismissal at the other envoys, who summarily bowed or curtseyed before scuttling away.

"I will go now," Luria sketched a curtsey before cautiously mounting Kirara, who mewed in encouragement.

"Hold on tight, Luria-sama," Shiruka advised. The unicorn spirit nodded and tangled her fingers into Kirara's thick mane. Her gasp of surprise turned into a shriek of shock when Kirara's paws sprouted fire and they galloped into the night sky.

----------

A/N: Well, isn't that strange. Right after I announced that I had writers block on this, I suddenly felt like writing it again after receiving reviews on 'Worth a Million Words'. They said that they were sad that I was having trouble with it, but that they were okay with waiting longer. I was so touched by it… thank you, guys! Love you all!

Anyway, tell me, seriously, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS STORY? I want constructive criticism. Am I going too fast? Is it too boring?

I also did a little soul-searching on why I like SessKag, after watching the 2nd movie… 'Kagami no Naka no Mugenjou', the one where Inuyasha and Kagome had their first kiss. Yeah. When watching them, I was like 'exactly why do I like SessKag again?' Yeah. After pondering for a while, I came to no conclusion at all. /makes face/ what a waste of time, huh?

On a happier note, I named my Inuyasha muse Danae. She's about six inches tall, has wings and flies around being annoying and bugging me until I can't take it. She's been particularly active lately, huh?

I can't believe it. My school is having food and water rationing today, not because Singapore is short of supplies, but because it's freaking TOTAL DEFENCE DAY. And yet, my Science teacher is happily chirping away about the digestive system.(What the hell is amylase anyway...)How evil...

Pray that I will survive the day. /winces/

kyasarinyume07 signing off.


	19. Ming Tian de Wei Xiao

Protector

This chapter is dedicated to **darkflame1516** for actually noticing and asking why I didn't have a quiz question last chapter and for entertaining me throughout the week! We had a fun time emailing each other back and forth! We just kept chattering on and on and on…until either of us had to leave. I hope you're well now, Jen-chan!

_Zhi yao zhun bei hao ming tian de wei xiao **(As long as I prepare tomorrow's smile)**_

_Wu lun zai tian ya hai jiao **(Wherever you are, to the ends of the earth)**_

_Xiang xin ai zong hui qian fang bai ji ba ni xun zhao **(I believe love will cross all barriers and find you)**_

_Ke neng ta zhong yu ming bai ni you duo hao** (Maybe she's finally realized how good you are)**_

_Xiang hui tou, chao ni ben pao** (And wants to turn back, run towards you)**_

_Zhi yao zhun bei hao ming tian de wei xiao** (As long as I prepare tomorrow's smile)**_

_Dang ni xiang yong bao **(Whenever you want an embrace)**_

_Ai zong hui chu qi bu yi qing qing qiao qiao lai dao** (Love will always turn up quietly, unnoticed)**_

_Ye xu zai sheng ming li de mou ge zhuan jiao **(Perhaps, in a random corner of your life)**_

_Ling yi ge ren hui gei ni mo ji xiang tong wei xiao **(Yet another person will give you the exact same smile.)**_

_- Ming Tian de Wei Xiao (Tomorrow's Smile), sung by Fish Leong (also known as Liang Jing Ru) Translated by me, because I do speak Chinese as my second language._

Chapter 19: Ming Tian de Wei Xiao (Tomorrow's Smile) (The title's in Chinese, by the way, if you didn't know.)

Kagome tossed restlessly, face reddened. The necklace, which had been replaced around her neck, reflected the lamplight, flickering golden in the dancing shadows. Her arms were splayed out, and her eyes were open, although they seemed to recognize no one. Sesshoumaru sat in a chair brought in by Ikaru, and concentrated on the book in his lap, occasionally glancing up to check on the miko. Shiruka stood by her bedside, brows knotted in concern. Ikaru stood outside, on guard. Kiria had been sent back to rest until Luria returned with news.

----------

"Kirara, go sloooooower!" Luria screamed as the fire-cat zoomed on her way after listening to the unicorn's directions. Kirara huffed and went faster, if that was possible. Luria hung on, fingers entangled in Kirara's fur tightly. Her long golden tresses were borne out behind her on the rushing wind, and her tilted cat-like green eyes were half-shut in an effort to keep the dust out.

As Kirara continued gliding onwards, Luria murmured a curse and wished that she had brought a coat along. Abruptly, she swallowed hard.

"Kirara, I'm going to throw up…" she moaned.

----------

"Kagura, are you done with your missions?" Kariyu asked, opening the door to her room silently. Her head shot up instantly, and she rose to her feet. "Yes, my lord," she replied respectfully, curtsying gracefully.

"Use a message bird and have it deliver your letter to Kanna. I have another job for you in mind," Kariyu ordered. She nodded in acquiescence.

"What can I do for you, my lord?" she asked, kneeling on the floor at his gesture as he relaxed into a cushioned armchair. Lifting one hand, he lazily began to run his fingers through her silky ebony locks.

"I want you to bring me… a soul," he cooed melodically. "Whose?" Kagura questioned, trembling within herself.

"Bring me… Inuyasha's soul," he caressed the top of her head lightly. Kagura's mind spun.

"The barrier…" she offered token resistance.

"I have a few things for you to get rid of it, mate," Kariyu sighed out patiently. He handed her a small container containing dozens of black widow spiders, and a glowing orb of demon energy. She stared at them, puzzled, as he smiled.

"This is all you will need."

----------

"Jun! Jun, are you there?" Luria called hoarsely. Her throat ached after throwing up the entire contents of her stomach after the wild ride with Kirara. She could have sworn that the damned cat had actually looked amused as it observed her hack up everything in an undignified manner.

The face of a mild-mannered rabbit youkai appeared at a window on the second storey of the small house. "Come on in, Luria-chan," she shouted down. Luria waved back, and pushed the woven curtain covering the door aside, entering unsteadily. Kirara followed, tails waving merrily.

"What can I do for you today, Luria-chan?" Jun asked as she measured a portion of a suspicious-looking liquid out into a spoon. She hesitated, before tipping it into a cup of emerald green acid. Moments ticked past, and then Jun was covered in stinking black soot. Luria could only stare unblinkingly, as Jun grinned sheepishly. "Umm… oops?" she offered hopefully. Luria shook her head, grinning wryly.

"I've got this new friend, she's been poisoned with the Draca Cor," Luria came straight to the point.

"Ah, I see. Well, I would love to help you, but I'm afraid I can't. You see, the Shinketsuchi leaves I have are too old, and are only good for experimentation purposes. Their vitality is no longer there, and they are ineffective for healing," Jun grimaced, shaking her head.

"Is there anything you can do at all?" Luria asked hopefully.

"Well, I can attempt to devise a potion which can restore the victim, but I would need time, at least three days if you are lucky, and I would need sterilized materials, more space, assistants, samples of the Draca Cor in her body and access to many rare herbs," Jun hazarded.

"Would the Castle of the Crescent Moon be suitable?" Luria pressed.

"More than so, but isn't the lord there-" Jun was cut off by Luria clapping her hands in joy.

"The one who needs help is Sesshoumaru-sama's personal guest," Luria explained.

Jun nodded in comprehension. "Well, I'll just need a few minutes to gather my things, and then we can leave," she began to bustle about the room, grabbing up things like measuring spoons and a workbook for herself.

----------

They arrived astride Kirara at dawn the next day, Luria frantically clinging to Kirara's mane and desperately trying to extract a promise from Jun to make her a healing brew so she could resist the urge to throw up. Jun was giggling behind a hand, her pointed ears twitching in amusement.

The guards at the gate hailed them as they drew nearer, and waved them straight in.

----------

"Sesshoumaru-sama, this is Jun, my friend, who has agreed to try and help Kagome," Luria gestured towards Jun, who smiled and bowed politely, painfully self-conscious in her simply-styled cotton blouse and patched skirt.

"There are things I will require to start work," she said, glancing about speculatively.

"All will be made available to you. Kiria will be sent for, and she will assist you," with that, Sesshoumaru walked out of the room as Jun blinked.

"Anyway, Luria, are you going to help me?" Jun asked, turning pleading eyes on her friend.

Luria gulped. "Umm… do I have a choice?"

----------

"So, anyway, I've managed to distill the poison and list out its ingredients, as written on this sheet of parchment. As Luria said, the most prominent and dangerous ingredient is the Draca Cor, followed by many other small poisons mixed together to form something very potent. I have the antidotes to most of the small ones separately," Kiria informed Jun, who nodded, copying the ingredients down speedily into her workbook, with quick, practiced strokes of a brush.

"Then, I'll get to work. I've prepared a list of herbs that I will want to try… could you arrange for these to be brought here, please?" Jun requested. Kiria agreed immediately.

Jun set to work quickly, as hardworking as a bee.

Fine, hollow tubes of wood were used in place of the modern glass test tubes. The wood was brushed with a veneer of inflammable paint. Kiria's set looked barely used, whereas Jun's set was battered and dented. Each tube was filled with a different mixture, and Jun rubbed her eyes in frustration as variation after variation failed to produce the results she required.

If the potion she mixed had any effect on the Draca Cor, the colorless layer of poison would float to the top. She was trying to have it expelled through the pores of the skin, to be wiped away every few minutes, rather than passed naturally out of the body. Sweating it out was faster, and the poison would have less time to wreak havoc on Kagome's immune system.

Jun growled as she crossed out recipe after recipe from her workbook. The two assistants nearby worked furiously, taking the mixtures she had no use for away to be disposed of properly.

Jun sighed as she began to try a new page. This one was more unusual, infusion of holly wood and tulip root, along with leaves of the haddock plant, ginger and ginseng fruit. As she observed the changes taking place, she discovered that the poison sank to the bottom of the tube, rather than floating to the top. She marked the recipe as one which needed alteration but could still be considered in the running, then moved on.

----------

After two days, Jun came to Kagome's room, bags under her eyes. A vial of bright green medicine was in her hand, and her hair was lank and straight.

"You look like a panda," Shiruka said bluntly.

"Thanks ever so. Now, give this to her while I pour her a glass of water," Jun said tartly, handing him the vial. A pitcher of water stood on the bedside table, almost empty. She went to tip out the last bit of it, handing it to Shiruka when he had finished forcing the medicine down her throat.

Her condition had remained much the same in forty eight hours. Her eyes were clouded over, and she couldn't recognize anyone. Even if her eyes were open, she seemed to be asleep. Her limbs were sticky with sweat, although Kiria and Luria came in everyday to give her a sponge-bath. Fever spots still raged high on her cheeks, and she could only digest the simplest of liquids and plain porridge.

'_How long will it take for me to produce a suitable cure?'_

----------

Kagura made the journey to the cave again, albeit somewhat unwillingly.

As she entered, the bright cyan glow of the barrier fluctuated. Glancing down at the container of spiders in her hand, she discovered that they were shining with a poisonous green light. Shuddering, she opened the box and let the arachnids spill out.

With quick shuffling of limbs, the spiders climbed on to the surface of the barrier and skittered over to form a perfect grid, each of them spaced apart equally. Kagura winced at the sound of scuttling legs, and released the demon energy orb. Blankly, she stared at it.

Exactly what was supposed to happen now, anyway?

----------

A/N: Em… the next update will probably be later… (I need to study Math! I'm failing it!)

So… yepp, not my fault.

I know I wanted to thank someone or something like that, but I forgot. /laughs/ I'm getting senile! Wow.

Uhh… crap, I really don't remember a thing.

Beta read by **kibou hope**.

Next question:

Name the four Inuyasha movies. (Also on point system.) Japanese and English titles, please!

23.02.2006:

One of the founding leaders of Singapore, Mr. S. Rajaratnam, passed away yesterday at 3.15pm, at the age of 90. He would have turned 91 this Saturday, and he died because of heart failure. Rest in peace.

Kyasarinyume07.


	20. Sayonara Solitia

Protector

Mukuchi ni naruhodo suki yo yasashisa **(I love you so much that I can't speak)**

Doushitara mieru no **(So how will you see my kindness?)**

Dakishimete motto tsuyoku **(Hold me tighter)**

Atataka na mune wo shinjiru yo **(I believe in your warm heart)**

Sayonara, solitia… ashita he… **(Goodbye, solitaire…. until tomorrow…)**

**Sayonara Solitia, by Chiba Saeko**

This chapter is dedicated to **kyoko super girl** because she submitted half a review in Chinese. It was memorable, and rather intriguing. Also to **Me** (as in to the person, not myself), because she actually recognized the Chinese before I told her. Sort of.

Chapter 20: Sayonara Solitia (Goodbye, Solitaire) (Wow, it's the 20th chapter already!)

**Story notes: I'm planning to give this story a whole new revamp. Summary, title and my own penname will all be changed. My new username will be windborne. The new title for this story will be 'Miko to Taiyoukai no Monogatari'. The summary will simply be 'the legend of Kagome and Sesshoumaru'. Please note this – don't come and accuse me of copying my own story.**

Kagura stared at the inactive orb of energy for a few seconds, tapping her foot impatiently.

Somewhere nearby, a little worm poked his head out of the ground and was instantly snapped up by a blackbird, who rejoiced at his new meal. Upon seeing the blackbird, a hawk dove down and had it for lunch. A snake saw the hawk resting, and decided to have a fight. The hawk won, but eventually died of his wounds. His body rotted away, providing nutrients for the soil, and then another little worm appeared. This cycle of life completed itself, but the demon energy orb was still dormant.

…nah, just kidding. Kinda.

Kagura cursed a blue streak, and began to turn away. A flash of sickly green radiance caught her attention, and she spun around, eyes wide.

The orb had cracked into half, and a ray of light spilled out of the two pieces. A spider shrieked in pain as the light landed on it. It writhed in agony, as the beam moved on to the next arachnid. The power surged to each of them in turn, creating a grid of fluorescent energy.

The spiders abruptly exploded. Kagura shielded her face with her sleeve, wincing in disgust as the shattered corpses rained down overhead.

When she drew away the cloth covering her face, the barrier was gone, and Inuyasha had awoken.

"How dare you…" he growled gutturally. Kagura stared.

_This was so not supposed to happen. Well… crap, I'm dead._

----------

Jaken trudged through the woods wearily, warty green head bowed. The toad had aged a lot since he left Sesshoumaru's company. His shoulders drooped dismally, and many shadows of bruises covered his bumpy skin.

But no matter how badly Kariyu treated him, Jaken would always come back, simply because there was no where else to go and no one else to return to.

---

"Are you the one sent by my master?" a hooded figure asked. It was past midnight, and Jaken was in a grumpy mood, as he had been for a long time.

"Yes, I am. Hurry up and report," he groused, earning a swift kick to the head.

"You'll be more polite to us next time," the other person reprimanded.

The two spies wore black coarsely-woven hooded cloaks, and all Jaken knew was that one was male and one was female.

"Sesshoumaru suspects something is up," spy number one said.

"Nevertheless, the poison attempt on the miko worked," number two grinned.

"A demon named Jun has come to try and heal her. We fear that she will be able to do so, therefore…" the female one let her sentence trail off, as Jaken tried his best not to shudder.

"I understand. Is that all you have to report?" he asked, trying not to tremble too obviously.

"We'll be draining more people of blood, because we're running low on energy. We'll be careful. Tell Kariyu-sama that our guise will continue," the male said.

With that, both spies sprung away into the darkness as Jaken blinked, somewhat bewildered.

'_No matter what I do, I'll always be an insignificant toady…'_

----------

Kagome sat up, looking around alertly. She was on a flat plain which contained only herself and thick fog, which blanketed the entire area. The dull ache in her lower stomach told her that her body was trying to pull her soul back, and that she was in Midoriko's world – the Shikon no Tama.

"Are you well, Kagome?" the long-dead miko approached Kagome out of the mist, appearing like a mirage. Her form wavered and rippled slightly before firming.

"I seem to be okay here, although I'm pretty sure that I'm poisoned in the physical realm," Kagome answered calmly. After years of arriving in Midoriko's home unannounced, she was fairly comfortable in the place where time did not seem to pass. She had long realized that what was going on in her body had no effect on how she felt in the spiritual sense.

"Yes. I've scryed in, and there is a healer who is currently working on a cure for you. She is coming very close already, there is just one ingredient that she lacks, although I'm not too sure what it is. Do you know what you were poisoned with?" Midoriko questioned, like a teacher surveying her favorite pupil.

"The Draca Cor," Kagome replied. She had seen the plant several decades ago, and had been intrigued by it. However, when she was halfway through her experiments on it, she had been summoned by yet another village in trouble. She had never bothered to go all the way back to look for the venomous plant, but now rather regretted that fact.

"That's it. You seem to be using up your power rather quickly to sustain yourself, so you'll have to pace yourself until the cure is fixed," Midoriko advised.

Kagome nodded, drawing her legs up close and resting her chin on her knees.

"Midoriko… can I ask you something?" she asked, staring down at her toes. Midoriko tilted her head to one side.

"Go ahead." She said.

"You seemed rather sad when you mentioned the entity who is currently possessing Kariyu… is there any special reason why?" Kagome asked hesitantly. (Refer to Chapter 8 for more information.)

Midoriko sighed. Her pupil had grown up to be a rather astute woman, and this was one of the times when she wished Kagome was a little less observant.

"He used to be my friend, and he used to help me exterminate demons," she answered reluctantly.

"Is that it?" Kagome prodded.

"He proposed to me after a length of time… I refused. He was angry with me, and left. I did not think that he would try to ambush me with an army of demons, and thus was not prepared for the battle. Until now, he has survived even though his hosts die one after the other. He always managed to transfer into another body before his own life force ran out." Midoriko elaborated, sighing.

Kagome bit her lip, wishing that she hadn't asked now.

"Unrequited love…" she murmured to herself.

"No, not exactly. He didn't love me. We were only friends. He wanted power, more power," Midoriko replied, sighing.

Kagome nodded in understanding, as their eyes met.

Rising to her feet, she wiped imaginary dust off her pants. "Well, I should be going now. See you," she said.

The last thing she saw was Midoriko's gentle, kind smile, before that world was jerked out from under her feet like a rug.

----------

Jun worked away steadily at the worn wooden desk she had taken charge of. Her hands were unfaltering as she dripped mysterious liquids and added pinches of herbs into a tiny, bubbling pot. She paused as a movement caught her eye, and she turned to see who was there.

A throwing knife whizzed past her, slashing a fine wound on her cheek. Blood trickled down her skin, bright crimson against tan.

Immediately, she screamed, eyes wide in fear. A second attempt never came, as guards outside came rushing in.

The strange thing was that no scent of a stranger was detected anywhere, within the room and without.

-----The Next Morning-----

Shiruka propped Kagome up gently on a pile of pillows, pushing her hair back from her face. Her eyes were bright with fever, although she retained her intelligence, and she was sweaty and sticky, despite Kiria and Luria's ever more frequent visits to wipe her down with damp sponges.

The curtains were opened, letting sunlight flood into the room, turning the floor a polished honey brown hue. The wind swirled in through the window and ruffled the hair and clothes of the miko and the bodyguard.

"Water… bring me water, please." Kagome rasped softly. Her throat was inflamed, and she couldn't talk loudly.

Shiruka acknowledged the request and complied right away, handing her a glass of chilled liquid and helping her hold it while she sipped daintily.

"Tell the healer that she's very close to a cure. Midoriko told me – she's only lacking one ingredient," Kagome murmured in a low tone.

Shiruka nodded, listening carefully. Demon though he was, he would have trouble hearing her if he insisted on breathing loudly or making unnecessary noise.

Kagome's eyelids drifted shut as she exhaled. Her breathing evened out as Shiruka settled her into the proper position for sleep. He drew out one of his swords and admired the sight it made as the sunlight reflected off the sharp, shining length of steel in his hand.

'_With this – I can protect anyone I want to. I won't let someone else important to me die.'_

----------

Kagura spread her fan, trembling slightly in fear, although she tried not to show it. Inuyasha advanced on her, claws extended and golden eyes literally shining in rage. She waited for him to draw the sword hanging at his hip, but he did not do so. Instead, he sprung at her as she leapt away quickly.

She backed out of the cave, panting as she dodged more of Inuyasha's lightning fast strikes. The tip of one of his claws caught on her kimono sleeve, and it ripped. She slashed her fan through the air, and sharp blades of wind rushed at the enraged half-demon, who was not hit by a single one.

Another twirl of her fan produced mini tornadoes, which grew larger and larger as they sucked up dried leaves and dirt from the ground outside the cave. Kagura released her feather as fast as she could, and floated upwards to where Inuyasha couldn't reach her.

The tornadoes barreled towards him, and he jumped away to the side, snarling.

Kagura fled immediately when he flung blades of blood at her. She was no match for him, whether or not he had the Tetsusaiga or not.

But still, one question nagged her mind. Exactly why hadn't he drawn the heirloom sword which would have guaranteed his victory?

----------

Midoriko gazed into the scrying mirror, brow furrowed in disbelief and surprise.

'_Tetsusaiga… why won't you heed the call of your master?'_

----------

Jun waited with bated breath, watching to see if her last solution would work. This was it, if this didn't work, she would go to Luria and tell her that she had tried her best.

_Is this it?_

----------

A/N: Thanks for all the encouraging reviews/grins/ I really love you all.

Beta-read by kibou hope.

There were so many correct answers for the last chapter that I gave up on trying to decide whether I should include a 'u' in the model answer or not. In the end, I decided to pick a random reviewer whose name I can remember without trouble. And of course, those people are **kyoko super girl** and** Me**.

From now on, since I can't be bothered to think of a question, I will just pick a lucky reviewer from those who reviewed for the chapter.


	21. Moments

Miko to Taiyoukai no Monogatari

This chapter is dedicated to **Won****-Won-Weirdo.**

_Hana no you ni hakanai no nara **(If my life is transient like a flower)**_

_Kimi no moto de sakihokoru deshou **(I'll be in full bloom by your side.)**_

_Soshite egao mitodoketa ato **(And after watching you smile)**_

_Sotto hitori chitteyuku deshou **(I'll fall alone, quietly…)**_

_Tori no you ni habatakeru nara** (If I could flutter like a bird)**_

_Kimi no moto e tondeytuku deshou **(I would fly to you)**_

_Soshite kizu wo otta sono se ni **(And offer you my wing)**_

_Boku no hane wo sashidasu deshou **(To your wounded back)**_

_Kaze no you ni nagareru no nara **(If I could flow like the wind)**_

_Kimi no soba ni tadoritsuku deshou **(I would reach you)**_

_Tsuki no you ni kagayakeru nara **(If I could shine like the moon)**_

_Kimi wo terashitsuzukeru deshou **(I would keep shining on you.)**_

-Moments, by Ayumi Hamasaki

Chapter 21: Moments

Jun held her breath, staring at the test tube intently, eyes narrowed into slits.

---

Sesshoumaru marked the pqge where he stopped reading with a simple bookmark, before laying the nondescript tome aside. He rubbed at his eyes with a hand, blinking the sleepiness away. That simple action only brought him back to the same train of thought.

_Kagome._

How had the miko achieved the feat of bringing back his arm? He had traveled the length and breadth of Japan, searching for a way to retrieve the lost limb, but to no avail. And yet, this dimunitive miko had just stepped in and regrown it, without any fanfare! It was simply amazing, and yet at the same time, frightening. Did she know the limits of her power? Could anyone fathom exactly what she could do and what she couldn't?

Sesshoumaru pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to avoid an oncoming headache. It was foolhardy to allow Kagome to do as she pleased, really – the demon who won her as a mate, if any succeeded at all, was sure to try and usurp his position of Lord sooner or later, and if Kagome backed him, they were sure to win. He should have considered more closely before agreeing – what on earth had possessed him to make that split-second decision?

And even now, his people were being attacked for no reason whatsoever. The scene of the murder had revealed no clues at all, not even a scent to track by, not even a tiny scrap of clothing. It was likely that the murderer would leave the castle if Sesshoumaru and Kagome left. Perhaps it would be better to face Kariyu head-on, rather than hanging around to wait for the mate contest to be concluded. The assassination attempt on Kagome had shocked him greatly.

His mind made up, Sesshoumaru resolved to leave the castle and search for Kariyu once Kagome had recovered from the poison. He could not allow any more innocents to die.

----------

Jun watched a clear liquid float to the surface before grinning widely.

'_Finally…'_

She skimmed the poison off carefully before ladling up the mixture in a cup. Kagome's cure was at hand.

----------

"Here, help Kagome up," Jun directed. Shiruka supported the dimunitive miko as Luria stacked up the pillows to form a backrest. Kagome reached out a hand for the cup.

She made a face as she swallowed the bitter solution, as Luria smiled in anticipation. It had been extremely unfortunate that Kagome had been poisoned immediately after meeting her for the first time.

-----Five Days Later-----

"All right, you have a clean bill of health," Kiria congratulated Kagome, who beamed in delight. "It's great to be okay," she smiled.

She had heard about Kouga's antics from Luria, who had derived a lot of amusement from his reaction when it was reavealed that she had been poisoned. Luria's descriptive powers were strong, and Kagome could just imagine the look on the wolf demon's face. The two had laughed and laughed and laughed, while Shiruka's lips curved up in a small grin. Jun had stared in confusion, as she did not know Kouga.

----------

"My dear Kagome, is it true that you've cancelled the competition?" a visibly annoyed wolf demon burst through the door without so much as knocking. Kagome turned around, eyebrows rising.

"I did no such thing, Kouga." Kagome answered perplexed. "And also, please knock before you enter next time!" she reprimanded.

"I was the one who cancelled it." A cold voice interrupted from the doorway. Sesshoumaru was poised there, arms folded across his chest.

"We are leaving. Pack your things." He ordered. Kagome stared at him, brows knitting in consternation.

"But…" her protest went unheeded, as Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and strode away without gracing her with a reply.

"My dear Kagome, you'll always be in my heart no matter what," Kouga said gallantly, catching her hands up in his own.

"That's nice. Could you leave now? I'm afraid I'm going to have to pack my stuff…" Kagome said absently. Kouga sighed, shooting her a mournful glance before slipping out the door.

"Shiruka, do you know what's up with Sesshoumaru? Is he PMSing or something?" Kagome asked, lips quirking.

"PMSing?" Shiruka questioned, unfamiliar with the modern term.

"Ah… you know, when girls have 'that time of the month', they tend to be a little snappish? Yeah, people in my time refer to that as PMSing." Kagome clarified, smiling.

"Oh, I see. No, I don't think Sesshoumaru-sama is going through that," Shiruka shook his head. Kagome laughed.

"Anyway, looks like I've got to oblige his Mighty Highness this once…"

----------

The next morning found a grumpy Kagome, an implacable Sesshoumaru, an overly cheerful Rin and a few other people in the courtyard. Rin was not allowed to come with them. Instead, Sesshoumaru had decided to send her to his private house, accompanied by his most trusted guards and soldiers.

"Goodbye, Sesshoumaru-sama! Come back for me soon!" Rin wrapped her arms around his leg, still too short to reach his waist. Sesshoumaru only rested one clawed hand on her head before withdrawing stiffly.

Kagome knelt down to embrace the sunny little girl. "See you, Rin-chan. Behave, okay?" Kagome advised, tapping her on the nose playfully. Rin laughed before backing off.

"Bye, Luria. Thanks for all the help. You too, Jun. I could never have recovered without the two of you," The three women engaged in a three-way hug, as a smile creased Luria's face.

"You're welcome. You've changed us, Kagome… your influence does more than you can possibly imagine," Jun spoke up quietly.

"Shiruka… thank you for guarding me so faithfully," Kagome grinned up at the demon who was so much taller than her.

"You're welcome." Shiruka inclined his head.

"If you're done with your womanish goodbyes, we can leave now." Sesshoumaru interrupted coldly.

"Fine, Ice Man… let's go."

Sesshoumaru turned, ready to jump over the wall and be gone.

"Please wait, Sesshoumaru-sama!" a feminine voice called. A slender lynx demon came stumbling towards him, one hand holding up her skirts awkwardly. She held an intricately carved box in the other.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, my family and I would like to present you this gift in hopes that it will assist you on your journey," she gasped out, blushing a little at his proximity.

"Thank you." He replied emotionlessly, taking the box from her.

"Who's that?" Kagome murmured to Luria, whose eyebrows had risen into her hairline.

"It's Inoue. Her family is a very prominent one, and they want to mate her with Sesshoumaru-sama," Luria whispered back. "Aren't they being a tad forward, offering a gift like that?"

"Yeah, it's kind of weird…"

"Let's go." Sesshoumaru once again interrupted their soft chatter rudely. Kagome shot him a glare.

Kirara transformed in a burst of flames, causing Inoue to step back in surprise. Kagome sent her a wolfish grin, then vaulted onto Kirara's back easily. Fire gathered around her paws, and she easily ascended into the sky with great bounds and leaps. Sesshoumaru's sparkling cloud of youki gathered beneath his feet, and then he, too, rose out of sight.

----------

"Hey. Care to explain why you decided we had to leave without discussing it with me first?" Kagome prodded the chilly demon lord impatiently. She had wanted to spend more time with Luria and Jun, getting to know them better. They seemed to be rather nice people…

"This Sesshoumaru does not have to answer to the likes of you." He replied bluntly. Kagome frowned.

"You haven't spoken to me like that for a long time. What's with the 'this Sesshoumaru' stuff? Get off your high horse." She complained.

"This Sesshoumaru feels that being in the castle is too dangerous for the inhabitants," he allowed after a short lull in the conversation between them.

"Didn't know you were so kind, Sesshoumaru," Kagome tangled the fingers of one hand in Kirara's ruff, and tickled the fire cat's ears with the other, laughing when Kirara twitched it warningly.

----------

Sesshoumaru guided their journey. They had no idea where Kariyu's den was, and so they had to search area by area painstakingly. So far, they had seen no trace of a castle other than the ones which Sesshoumaru already knew of.

They had searched the whole morning already, and Kagome was starting to feel hungry.

As she opened her mouth to tell Sesshoumaru that she wanted lunch, she caught a flash of red and silver in the corner of her eye.

"Did you see that? I could've sworn I saw…"

----------

A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, I know it's about seventy words shorter than my minimum, but please try to understand.

Although it is holiday time for me now, my father has been warded in hospital due to heart problems. He has four blocked arteries, and he needs to go for a bypass operation. Originally, we had thought that his condition was not serious, and that he only required a stent to keep the artery open. However, it seems that one of the blocked areas is at a T-junction, and so a stent cannot be placed there, as that junction supplies blood to two main arteries. If the stent was placed there and it collapsed, that would be fatal. So, my father will be going for his operation on Thursday morning. Please pray for him. I have been using the time I would usually use to write to accompany him, because he is feeling extremely bored in hospital. He is the active sort, and he doesn't like being cooped up. So please, bear with me.

The next update will probably be late. After the operation, we'll have to make sure someone is with him at all times for at least another week. We're all going to take turns to do that, so… I will be very, very busy.

Well…okay, the reviewer I have picked this time… is…. Uh… let's see… **Won-Won-Weirdo**! Why? No reason in particular… I just remembered her username all of a sudden.

Please continue to support me, everyone. Is it just me, or is my review count dropping/hint hint/

Yeah… see you. I have to go for a Literature lecture in school soon…. :( I'm very sad. And then I'm going to see my primary school friend whom I haven't seen for more than a year… and then I'll probably go to the hospital to visit my father. What a busy day….

This chapter is un betaread because I wanted to rush this out.

Windborne signing off.


	22. Third Party

Miko to Taiyoukai no Monogatari

_Ta zhi shi zui zui wu gu de di san zhe **(She's just the most, most innocent third party)**_

_Jiu suan ta xiao shi ci ke **(Even if she disappears from now onwards)**_

_Gao su wo neng de hui shen me ne? **(Tell me, what can I possibly gain back?)**_

_Ze guai ta you ping shen me ne? **(What's the use of blaming her?)**_

_Ta zhi shi wu yi chuang ru de di san zhe **(She's just the third party who came between us without meaning to)**_

_Wo men zhi jian de kun nan zai ta chu xian zhi qian jiu you le **(The troubles between us were there before she came)**_

_Sui ran wo fen nu dan shi wo ming bai de **(I may be angry, but I understand)**_

_Ba guo cuo rang ta quan bei zhe **(To let all past blame fall upon her shoulders)**_

_Na shi bu dui de. **(Is wrong.)**_

_-Di San Zhe (Third Party) by Liang Jing Ru, translation done by me. I just felt that I HAD to use this song, because it reminded me so much of how Kikyou must have felt. I mean, if you look at it from her point of view, Kagome is the third person, Of course, so many people hate her that almost everyone thinks that she's the bad one and calls her 'clay pot.' For the record, I will state once and for all that I like Kikyou. I also like Kagome. I am not prejudiced against Kikyou for anything that she has done._

This chapter is dedicated to **1kenshinlover**, even though she hasn't been around for awhile, because she encouraged me in the beginning. Thank you.

Chapter 22: Di San Zhe (Third Party)

"Hey, Sesshoumaru. Did you see something just now?" Kagome frowned, turning her head and scanning the trees below them.

"No, I did not," the demon lord replied stoically, only to almost fall off his sparkling cloud when a barrage of red blades flew his way.

Kagome flung out a hand, and the usual barrier surrounded all three warriors.

"Say, wasn't that Inuyasha's Hijinkessou?" the miko blinked disbelievingly. Her confusion only deepened when she heard a tiny growl escape out of Sesshoumaru's tightly clenched jaw.

"Inuyasha is not himself." Was all the demon replied before diving out of the barrier and plummeting towards ground as his pelt streamed out behind him.

Kagome followed quickly, still not knowing what was going on until she caught sight of blood red eyes and elongated claws.

"Stop, Sesshoumaru!" she screamed, as Kirara added a loud roar to the protest. He did not reply, but continued onwards. The poison whip streamed out of his fingers, and he lashed at the growling, crazed Inuyasha on the ground.

The two demons charged at each other, Inuyasha with claws extended and golden eyes shining with rage, Sesshoumaru with his poison whip flicking dangerously through the air. They met and slashed at each other freely, before retreating and charging again.

Kagome realized that Tetsusaiga still hung at Inuyasha's hip when a blow of Sesshoumaru's fist sent the crazed beast hurtling backwards, coughing blood.

_Why isn't Tetsusaiga preventing the transformation…?_

---

Kagura slipped through the door, mouth and throat dry in fear and apprehension. Kariyu did not take failure easily. As her eyes darted about nervously, Kariyu emerged from the shadows, right on cue. His eyes seemed to look through her soul, in the scary way.

"Kagura. Have you brought me what I sent you for?" he asked, approaching nearer and nearer as Kagura swallowed convulsively.

"I… have not," she replied hesitantly.

"I do not like failure, Kagura," Kariyu told her softly, circling her like a shark eying its prey.

"I'm sorry… very sorry," she muttered, heartbeat speeding up to the point where it was almost painful. She was sure that his vampiric ears could pick up the drumbeat of her heart with no problem at all.

"An apology is not enough, Kagura. Follow me."

---

Obediently, she trailed behind him as he walked down a staircase that was so long, it seemed that it never ended. After minutes of walking in complete darkness, they reached the bottom, and walked along a dim passageway lit by torches.

A guard sitting in a chair talking with his partner leapt to his feet the moment he saw Kariyu striding across the dirt floor towards the cells. "Sir!" he exclaimed in shock as his partner hastily rose as well.

"Kagura is to be kept here until further notice. Do not harm her. Put her in with the mirror girl." Kariyu ordered as Kagura timidly emerged from the dimness.

"Yes, sir," the guard saluted as Kariyu pivoted on his heel and left, walking quickly. The second guard took Kagura by the forearm and pulled her away, his companion picking up the heavy iron ring of keys from the hook beside the iron gate.

_Mirror girl?_

"Rather a pretty one, isn't she?" the first guard observed as he passed his partner the keys to secure Kagura's chains.

"Don't be so hopeful, Rai! She's the lord's mate, can't you see?" the second guard indicated the mate mark on Kagura's exposed neck.

"So she is… what's she doing down here, then?" Rai wondered out loud as Kagura kept silent.

"Who cares? Come on, let's go." The unnamed guard stood up and walked out, locking the jail door behind him carefully. The two pairs of footsteps echoed up the tiny corridor before fading entirely.

Kagura's head swiveled when she saw a glimpse of pristine white at the other end of the cell.

"…Kagura?" came the muted whisper, as she began to move.

"…Kanna!" Kagura was horrified.

"Kagura… why did you call me here, if you were just going to lock me up?" Kanna crawled towards her younger sister slowly, the chains binding her clanking loudly. The mirror lay in shards near the wall, broken. Kanna would need time and materials to repair the weapon she wielded with exquisite deadliness.

"Kanna… I'm sorry, so sorry," Kagura waited until her sibling was within reach, then grabbed Kanna in a tight hug, tears pouring unchecked down her cheeks.

Kanna stroked her sister's back tentatively. "It's okay, Kagura… tell me what happened…" the pale, ghostly girl whispered.

Kagura only sniffled, trying to choke back the flood of tears before beginning to talk hoarsely.

---

Kagome caught sight of the dark purple beads and white fangs of Inuyasha's infamous rosary, and wondered if it still worked. Immediately, she put it to the test.

"Osuwari!" she screamed as forcefully as possible. The enraged demon slammed into the ground with a furious cry, creating his own crater. Sesshoumaru stumbled and almost fell as his target disappeared.

Sparks of cerise purification power gathered at her fingertips, and she sent them out in a continuous stream, flowing towards the downed Inuyasha with lightning speed. The energy quickly encased Inuyasha in a cage of magic, threatening to purify him if he touched the threads.

"What's wrong with Tetsusaiga's sealing power?" Sesshoumaru asked, a most unusual thing for him to do.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." With that grim statement, Kagome got off Kirara and approached Inuyasha cautiously.

When he raised his head, his eyes were still ruby red, and he bared his fangs at her threateningly.

Kagome reached out spiritual fingers of energy, and spotted the youki flowing around him in spurts, a dangerous crimson color. Tightening her grip around it, she yanked it away, shaping it into an orb that shifted colors every so often. The red left Inuyasha's eyes instantly, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the youki swirled in her hands.

"Long time no see, Inuyasha," she said neutrally. The emotions within her roiled uneasily.

"Ka…gome…" he called her name hesitantly, almost as though he felt strange doing so.

"What happened to Tetsusaiga's sealing power?" Kagome got straight to the point. She had never been the sort to beat around the bush.

"I don't know… Tetsusaiga lost its power to transform, too…" Inuyasha answered, touching the hilt of the battered sword lovingly.

"Why didn't you go to Toutousai?" Kagome demanded.

"That old fart's still alive?" Inuyasha blinked. "How old is that guy anyway?"

"Don't try and change the topic. Then, how come you didn't pillage villages and stuff? I would have been called sooner or later," Kagome wondered.

"I requested the miko and monk of a village to seal me away in a barrier," Inuyasha replied.

"What happened to the barrier?" Kagome frowned.

"Someone broke it. I'm not too sure who it was, but it smelled like Naraku's offspring… probably Kagura, if my nose wasn't wrong. I was under the blood influence then, so I'm not too clear about it." Inuyasha said slowly.

Kagome cursed bitterly.

"What's up with Kagura?" Inuyasha asked, seeing Kagome's expression. It was a cocktail of emotions, containing annoyance, anger and sadness.

"She's been controlled… apparently, Naraku was innocent and controlled by someone else." Kagome told him absent mindedly, thinking of something else.

Inuyasha's eyes bugged out. "Naraku was INNOCENT!" he yelled as Sesshoumaru glared at him for his loudness.

"Mmhmm. The entity who possessed him has moved on to the next container, who is a vampire named Kariyu. Strangely, he has the power to venture out in the sunlight, so we don't really have any advantage over him in that." Kagome explained.

Inuyasha blinked. "I think you need to explain this to me again, more slowly."

---Explanation commences---

"And that is everything that has happened so far." Kagome had recited the story again, sitting down casually. Sesshoumaru remained standing, enjoying the feel of the wind's chilly fingers sifting through his silky silver hair. Inuyasha was sitting cross-legged in the cage, arms folded as usual. The red fire-rat robe was still the same, displaying its magical properties to Kagome, who now knew how to appreciate them properly.

"So, basically we're facing another Naraku, this time one who drinks blood." Inuyasha stated as Kagome nodded confirmation.

"We're going to need more help, won't we?" Kagome mused.

A sad smile touched Inuyasha's lips.

"You will need more help, Kagome," he put the emphasis on the first word.

"What do you mean? Aren't you coming with us?" she asked, startled.

Inuyasha shook his head regretfully.

"I can't, Kagome… the moment you release my youki, I'll go crazy again. You can't keep it in your hands, they're already starting to get burnt…" he turned his face away slightly, white ears twitching spasmodically.

Kagome looked down. True enough, the skin on her palms was starting to redden dangerously. It only served to remind her that youki could only be truly controlled by their owners, no matter how powerful she was. Her fingers flared pink and white, producing tiny sparkles of purifying energy. She could prevent being taken over by the demonic energy only by her purity.

"Then what will happen to you?" Kagome cried, eyes shining wetly.

"You can just seal me to a time tree, and come back for me when you've defeated your enemy," Inuyasha said firmly.

Kagome gaped disbelievingly.

"You actually _want_ to be sealed?" she demanded.

"That's the only way out, isn't it? Besides, you shouldn't unseal me unless you have Toutousai with you to fix the damned sword," Inuyasha shrugged, nose twitching.

Sesshoumaru interrupted their argument, already tired of his younger half-sibling.

"Kagome, seal Inuyasha." He ordered.

Kagome frowned, ready to protest again.

"Do it, Kagome." Inuyasha prodded.

"How can you ask me to do this after the times I almost shot you?" Kagome clenched her fists in helplessness.

Inuyasha smiled angelically, an expression that Kagome would have killed to see in the past.

"It's because of what I would do if I wasn't sealed that I'm asking this. I know you can do it. I believe in you." He said simply.

Kagome bit her lip.

"All right. I'll take the cage away, and then we'll go look for a time tree like the Goshinboku." She did as she promised, and they began to search for their objective hurriedly. The youki was burning Kagome's hands as time trickled away.

"Here." Sesshoumaru called.

Inuyasha stood flat against the tree trunk calmly. "I'm ready, Kagome." He told her.

"I hate it when you make me do things like this," she whispered.

Lifting her bow and putting an arrow to the string, power concentrated at the tip of the sharp projectile. Seconds before she released the sealing arrow, Inuyasha's tainted youki swirled out of her fingers.

Time seemed to slow down as her arrow sped through the air…

---

25/03/2006

A/N: Whoot! Another chapter done.

Tell me, do stories usually get less popular as time goes by? Because I'm VERY confused now.

Lol… yeah. Won-Won-Weirdo and I have been chatting on MSN lately and we had a lot of fun. Feel free to add me at sweetdreamz2210 remove the spaces and everything'll be okay.

Man, I know I wanted to say something, but I forgot…

I'm getting senile…

Ah, yes!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my father. He's been released from hospital today and is recovering well from his heart bypass operation. However, due to safety reasons, he can't do much for six weeks, and the week when he has to be accompanied by someone at all times is just starting. But thank you, anyway, even if you forgot to pray : It means a lot to me.

Ehh… I can't for the life of me remember anything else… Am I THAT old/shudders/

03/04/2006

Well, the week is over – and this chapter has been rewritten way too many times. Do you know there were at least four versions? In one, Inuyasha was killed by Sesshoumaru, in another, Kagome was killed by Inuyasha… /scratches head/ This is horrifying.

Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, cause I sure don't. Gah…

**Kibou Hope** has disappeared again. Where, oh where...

Windborne signing off.


End file.
